Mr. Brendan Rodgers:

The government service is independent. It is based on the British system, although I say that with quotation marks. People know each other; one thing about Africa is that everyone knows everyone. Anyway, they are independent. When this was discovered I was surprised there was no reference to whistleblowers. When there are 17 people involved there will be whistleblowers everywhere and apparently this has begun to emerge in recent months. It amazes me how they thought they would be protected. Anyway, we do not know that yet. I believe more people will be interdicted and that piece by piece it will progress. We simply do not know at the moment. CID is carrying out its work.

Reference was made to other programme countries. The British permanent secretary with responsibility for development is visiting Ireland tomorrow as part of our normal contacts and this issue is on the agenda. The British are carrying out their own forensic audit. Ireland has been moving away somewhat from direct Government systems in recent years because Uganda is getting up on its feet and we have changed the nature of our work. We have moved somewhat away but other donors are heavily invested and this is dangerous for them because they are really a good deal more heavily invested that us. We will be discussing this. We will be discussing the matter with other donors in each of our programme countries and we will make our views clear. We will be carrying out a risk analysis and re-examining the risk levels and making a judgment. We will be doing that in every country. Certainly, I hope we will not be back here for something as large in another country. However, we must investigate and interrogate each of our programmes. The people and the Oireachtas deserve no less than that.

The draft anti-gay Bill has been on the agenda in Uganda for three years but the Government has no appetite for it, really. However, several people in the Parliament were promoting it. We have been absolutely clear on it for the past three years at ambassador level. We have made the case at every opportunity that this is against our values and principles and that Uganda is in contravention of conventions to which it has signed up in respect of civil and political rights. We have been clear about it. As recently as last July when the Tánaiste was in Uganda he raised this at length. Some developments have taken place which are not overly positive and I will call on Mr. Gaffey to outline them.