The Department of Foreign Affairs has applied for planning permission to construct a hightech information centre on the site of the former Eircom building on O'Connell Street. It is hoped the information centre will be up and running by next summer.

The centre will act as a focal point for people wishing to volunteer overseas, and will also seek to promote the work of Irish Aid abroad. According to a spokesman for the department, the centre will also be used to accommodate school tours and other educational visits.

The spokesman said that the centre was being constructed in a response to the huge growth in numbers of Irish people expressing a desire to carry out voluntary work in the developing world.

The centre will act as an information point to help prospective volunteers decide which NGO to contact and which project to target.

"There is a huge interest in voluntary work in the developing world and this centre will give people all the information they need to help them decide on volunteering, " said the spokesman.

"The Irish Aid programme is also expanding and so this centre will help to promote the work carried out with Irish Aid money."

The department has applied for planning permission to renovate the ground floor of the former Eircom building on Upper O'Connell Street, which is located opposite the Royal Dublin Hotel.

Last week the department announced an increase of 130m in overseas aid, bringing Irish government aid contributions to 813m. The announcement brought Irish aid contribution to 0.5% of GNP. The government has committed to increasing overseas aid contributions to 0.6% by 2010 and 0.7% by 2012.