Reduced aid and remittances among concerns of Ireland’s ethnic communities
The impact of budget measures on remittances and development education are among the concerns of immigrant communities, Metro Éireann understands.
Mbemba Jabbi from the Africa Centre in Dublin, said measures in Budget 2013 such as increased college fees and reductions in child benefit would affect immigrant communities in similar ways to the native population.
But he said issues of specific concern to immigrant communities include to what extent budget cutbacks might affect remittances, and whether the cut to Irish Aid’s budget will impact the availability of development education grants here.
According to the Expenditure Report 2013, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said its savings during the year will be achieved through reductions in funding for official development assistance with expenditure in this area put at €498m in 2013, compared to a forecast outturn of €511m for 2012.
Jabbi expressed concern about the impact on development education and underlined that an incomplete picture of the African continent affects attitudes and investment.
On remittances, Jabbi said “a good number” of immigrants send home money on a regular basis, and pointed to international research which found that remittances are three times the size of official development assistance.
He said this money is usually spent in education and healthcare by the relatives of immigrants, but that remittances from Ireland are likely to decline post-budget.
Meanwhile, in tandem with the budget, the Department of Justice and Equality has announced that it is the minister’s intention to publish and enact the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill during 2013.
“The bill will radically reform and modernise the approach taken to the determination of asylum applications and applications for permission to remain in the state,” stated the department. “The bill will replace law dating from 1935 (the Aliens Act) and provide a single code of law on entry into and presence in the State of foreign nationals, including a single protection procedure.”
