Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The message from the witnesses is very positive. Politicians and people at home are watching this and the witnesses are speaking in terms of being one of the best in the world. This is the type of language and message people want to hear. There was mention of a high-quality approach, being poverty focused and identifying with the world's poorest of the poor. The witnesses have a really positive message to get out there. Part of my concern is that we are probably not winning enough people over to the message. The witnesses spoke about getting Irish people involved in overseas development aid and development issues. How important do they see politicians travelling to look at Irish Aid's projects? How important is it to have these champions, that is, people who can go back to their communities and explain to people, who still feel the brunt of austerity and everything else, that they are getting quality and bang for their buck and every cent is being spent in the right way?

I share the concern of the witnesses about multilateral funding and I have raised this here and in the Chamber. We spent €188 million on overseas development aid through EU institutions. We have never had anyone before the committee to tell us where it went. The Minister comes in, and we have officials in, and they outline figures, but I genuinely do not believe we have the capacity to dig down and see exactly where all the money is being spent and whether it is being spent wisely. I understand the common-sense approach of multilateral funding when it comes to the likes of Ebola, AIDS and vaccines. All of this makes sense, but there are other smaller projects and the concern is when it drifts. We hear stories, from people coming back, about jeeps and staying in the best hotels. This is when people lose the message.

My party supports the 0.7% of GNI target for overseas aid and I believe all parties here do. For the viewers at home, how is GNI calculated? What is the difference between it and GNP? People speak about accountability, transparency, confidence building and planning for the future. How important do the witnesses believe it is for the Government to document how and when it plans to reach the UN target of 0.7%? When we look at graphs, it is difficult to find out how we will come to it.

With regard to policy coherence, it is not only about quantity of aid, it is also about the quality. We would all agree that to improve the quality of overseas development aid, we must have a whole-of-Government approach. How do the witnesses believe the Government is doing in creating this effective policy coherence?

I understand the difference between tied and untied aid, but perhaps the witnesses will expand on it for our viewers. What is the difference? The witnesses state Ireland's approach is unique. In what way is it unique? What do some countries do with their tied aid? Do they dump corn, food and their own products on local markets?

Ireland has been described as a tax haven. Many NGOs, including members of Dóchas, rightly point out that tax havens deprive developing countries of much-needed tax revenue through illicit shady deals and corruption. People state, unfortunately, that Ireland is playing a double game in this regard. We have built up a reputation as a tax haven. How does this impact on our international credibility when it comes to overseas development aid? How damaging is it to Ireland's tax policy in efforts to create a fair and equitable world?

The least developed countries were mentioned, and they seem to be under threat. We met the target of 0.15% of gross national income in 2015. The witnesses mentioned they are concerned about where this is going. Will they expand on this?

Disability inclusion is an area that has received more focus, and this is with regard to 100 million people around the world. How is Irish Aid focusing its overseas development aid on disability inclusion? How do we rank internationally in this work?

I am excited by the idea of training the trainers. A programme is set up, and it is not just the NGO but the local community. Will the witnesses expand on this?