Mr. Ruairí de Búrca:

I would like to add my condolences to those expressed to the family of Mr. Liam Cosgrave and his friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

The Secretary General has outlined how Irish Aid fits into Ireland's wider foreign policy and global footprints. It might be useful to give a brief outline of how our aid programme is structured and how we work to maximise its impact. Irish Aid is not a legal entity; it is a branding that we use to represent the funds disbursed through Vote 27, the development co-operation budget of the Department. In turn, the development co-operation division that I lead, working closely with the Department's financial controller, manages those funds. However, branding ourselves as Irish Aid saves us having to explain the Department's structures to partners, particularly aboard, which is useful, particularly because Irish Aid does what it says on the tin.

That is important in gaining leverage and traction on the issues about which we care when dealing with governments, administrations, other donors, agencies and communities in the places where Irish Aid is active. It involves our good name which has been recognised by the OECD's development assistance committee and others as being effective. It is our calling card which I hope we use well.

The provision of aid is, of course, about much more than just having a good name and channelling money to a cause, no matter how deserving. There are many causes - too many - and while we manage a considerable sum of money, €486 million this year, there are many more demands than we can reasonably meet. In part, the question of who we fund is answered by the priorities set in One World, One Future which no doubt members of the committee have seen. The document which was published in May 2013 sets out Ireland's policy on international development. It sets out three goals, namely, reduced hunger and stronger resilience, sustainable development and inclusive economic growth, and better governance, human rights and accountability. It also sets out six priority areas for action, namely, global hunger, fragile states, climate change and development, trade and economic growth, essential services; and human rights and accountability. Nothing stays still. As Mr. Niall Burgess mentioned, the work of the committee is timely in helping to set the agenda as we move forward. We have had the sustainable development goals which now inform our work and on which we need to build, as well as an increasingly complex set of emergencies, famines and other challenges which require an immediate response.

Irish Aid is organised along a number of pillars which support the achievement of the overarching goals mentioned. In part, our funding follows these pillars. Perhaps the most familiar to many is the humanitarian pillar - Ireland's response to emerging catastrophes such as famine or the recent hurricanes. It is also where we respond to complex situations such as refugee flows or to mitigate the effects of conflict. Funding is channelled through multinational actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent or the UN Central Emergency Response Fund. This allows Ireland to pool its resources with others for maximum impact.

Ireland works with non-governmental organisations, NGOs, both Irish and international. Our key partner countries also have humanitarian lines in their budgets which give good intelligence on how best to respond where crises have a regional dimension such as in the Horn of Africa. As Mr. Niall Burgess mentioned, Ireland has eight key partner countries, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierre Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Vietnam in Asia. In addition, we work closely with a number of other countries. I mention Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe, in particular. The work we do in these countries is focused on the achievement of measurable results which are reported on quarterly. The annual report of Irish Aid which was published last week is a distillation of that reporting process. The countries in which we work are mostly the least developed, but they all share an essential fragility which goes beyond the technical term "least development states". Attention is paid to ensure the work done in our partner countries is effective and efficient as it reduces poverty and that appropriate attention is paid to the prudent and effective management of Irish taxpayers' resources.

Our presence on the ground is important in feeding back to the other pillars of our work to ensure that, for example, our support for multilateral agencies, including the European Union and the United Nations, is targeted most effectively. It also means that Ireland has an informed voice when speaking at multilateral fora, drawing from our experience and being able to bring forward and propose solutions to common problems. This enables us to maximise our impact in partner countries in developing regional perspectives and also to contribute to the fine-tuning of the international response to emerging crises.

Civil society organisations play an important role in development. Ireland is home to many excellent organisations, some of which are household names, while others quietly do life-changing work. In recognition of this, Irish Aid funds a number of larger organisations on a multi-annual basis and others on an annual basis to achieve a set of agreed goals. Their experiences also enrich feedback and our own analyses and, importantly, help to spread Ireland's global footprint and open doors for other Irish development partners. Our missionaries, although much reduced in number, also play their part. NGOs frequently have a privileged space for advocacy which is important in helping to transform governance scenarios in countries in which we work.

It is also important that we inform the public about our development programme as we depend on their support. It is their taxes which pay for Irish Aid. This hearing is an important part of that feedback to taxpayers, as is, for example, Africa Day and the Department's development education programme.

Underpinning these output pillars is a strong team - some of my colleagues are present - with a focus on policy development and being in tune with international best practice. There is a learning culture within Irish Aid which uses a valuation and review process, as well as international research, to try to ensure our programmes are the best they can be. Increasingly, too, Irish Aid is able to dip into and learn from good practice across the Civil Service and the public service. Mr. Niall Burgess mentioned the co-operation with the HSE in health system strengthening. I also mention, for example, the work Teagasc is doing with Irish Aid to help agricultural research in a number of our key partner countries, which is an exciting new development.

Given our history which includes famine and migration, many Irish people have an instinctive understanding of why the international solidarity Irish Aid encapsulates is important. We are a generous people. However, it is also important to say we are not foolishly altruistic. We have our own self-interest. The Ebola crisis, for example, was a reminder of the need for functioning public health systems on our neighbouring continent. Ireland was able to respond quickly and effectively and make a significant contribution to stemming the flow of that terrible disease. That was important for the people of Sierre Leone, but it is also important to say it was important for us. As we look forward - the continent of Africa will experience a demographic bulge in the next 50 years - it is in our own interests to ensure this will become a demographic dividend, that it will be a continent on which the youth will be educated to take up the sustainable jobs that will be created in societies, that will be resilient in dealing with the climate challenges ahead, in a world where the promise of the sustainable development goals will be achieved. This is not something Ireland can deliver by itself, but it is something on which African countries should be and are taking the lead. However, Irish Aid, as part of our wider foreign policy and working with others, can help to progress its vision.