Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore. I thank him very much for coming to this meeting, having just arrived from Strasbourg. I welcome also the Minister of State, Deputy Joe Costello, and Mr. David Cooney, Secretary General, and his team of officials.

The select committee when considering the Estimates will do so under the headings of context and impact indicators, key outputs, and financial and human resource inputs. There will be a preliminary exchange on the allocations and targets for 2014. It is proposed that we begin with Vote 28 and examine it programme by programme. Programme A is to promote Ireland's economic and trade interest in Europe and internationally. I call on the Tánaiste to make a statement.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I thank the Chairman for giving me the opportunity of presenting the revised Estimates for my Department for 2013. I do not propose to make an opening statement but will introduce each programme as it is being considered. However, given that the EU Presidency passed from Ireland just three days ago, it has been the single biggest international project in the past six to 12 months and longer in my Department and across Government.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The vote that has just been called in the Dáil will cause some problems because we are all Deputies here. Perhaps I will allow Deputy Smith to ask a few questions before we suspend.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chair. I congratulate the Tánaiste and all his colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the other Departments and the missions abroad who contributed to a successful EU Presidency. The World Trade Organization budget line has been transferred to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. Given that the trade function is now assigned to the Tánaiste's Department, which has been renamed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, I find it strange that it is not responsible for World Trade Organization issues. Perhaps the Tánaiste can elaborate on why this change has been made in respect of the major trading regulatory body.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The trade function in my Department is essentially a co-ordinating function. As the Deputy knows, a number of Departments have a trade function. All of that has been pulled together under the Export Trade Council, which I chair. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is on the Export Trade Council, as are the Ministers for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Transport, Tourism and Sport. The objective of our co-ordinating work is to ensure there is a trade-focused approach to our overseas efforts, regardless of whether those efforts are carried out by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, by another Department or by one of the agencies. Our local market teams in priority markets, which are headed by ambassadors, report to the Export Trade Council through my Department. The objective of the decision to transfer the trade function to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was not to locate all trade activity in that Department. It was to give the Department a co-ordinating and an umbrella role with regard to the trade activities of all Departments so that a concerted, co-ordinated and effective trade focus could be brought to the Government's work. It could be described as a whole-of-Government approach to trade activity.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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We previously discussed the need to complete the World Trade Organization deal. It is important that there is a focus on the potential of the developing world. We need to support a World Trade Organization deal that advances the potential economic interests of countries in the developing world.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I will suspend the meeting at this point to allow Deputies to vote in the Dáil. I ask them to come back as quickly as possible when the vote has concluded.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Brendan Smith was about to ask a question when the meeting suspended.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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It is important that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the lead Department in respect of the World Trade Organization because of the developing world angle. The issue is important for developing countries and Ireland because of its trade and development implications.

Does the Tánaiste envisage the opening of any further missions, embassies or consulates? Are Irish missions the subject of an ongoing review?

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy's second group of questions relate to programme B. We will stick to economic and trade interests and return to the issue of missions later in the proceedings.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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With the Chairman's permission, I will ask the Minister of State to answer the Deputy's specific question on trade as it affects developing countries when we deal with that Vote.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Yes, that is fine. The more efficiently we can proceed, the better. We will leave the issue of missions until we discuss programme B.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The issue of trade with the developing countries is dealt with under the heading, economic partnership agreements, and is not dealt with through the World Trade Organization. Structures are place to deal with this issue and a significant amount of work was done during the Irish Presidency to advance it. The economic partnership agreements, EPAs, were originally established in 2000. Trying to negotiate preferential deals with the developing countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, region outside the WTO framework has been a long, arduous and painful process, which has been ongoing for 13 years. This year, under the Irish Presidency, the European Parliament voted to set October 2014 as the deadline for concluding negotiations on economic partnership agreements between the European Union and the countries concerned. This issue is now in the melting pot.

By and large, the position of the Irish Presidency was that much has happened since 2000 and circumstances have changed. Over the years, non-governmental organisations have expressed concern that the ACP countries would not secure as fair a deal as might be warranted. Many of the countries in question have prospered, if that is the correct word, or made significant economic advances in the meantime and are now very much involved in the marketplace. This is probably the last opportunity to ensure a preferential deal is done between the ACP countries and European Union outside the remit of the World Trade Organization. If a deal is not reached by October 2014, the whole process will fall apart and move within the ambit or remit of the WTO. There is significant momentum at present to reach deals with the various blocs, for example, the Southern Africa Development Community, SADC, the Economic Community of West African States, ECWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States, ECCAS, and individual countries. Negotiations are ongoing and we hope a resolution will be found before the deadline provided by the European Parliament and other European institutions expires.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I remind members that we are dealing with Ireland's economic and trade interests in Europe and internationally.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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It is difficult to make sense of the figures. I note the Tánaiste's comment that given the high level of administrative costs involved, the figures are indicative rather than definitive. One would expect the area of reconciliation and co-operation on the island-----

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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That issue arises in programme C. I ask the Deputy to stick with programme A or we will be here all night.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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It is important to separate trade from development. Concern has been expressed about the decision to include trade in the remit of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Many non-governmental organisations are concerned about the message this sends out. Where will savings be achieved? I note an increase is recorded in the provisional outturn? How were the figures for the strategic programme calculated? Will the Tánaiste explain how the 2013 figure was reached? One does not get a sense from the documents of where the money is going.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Does anyone else have questions on section A? I will take questions rather than statements.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Chairman will be pleased to hear I am not qualified to make a statement on it. I thank the Tánaiste and all the officials for the success of the Presidency. It was obvious that everybody at home and abroad put their best foot forward for Ireland. That was not only clear to us in Ireland but was acknowledged in the media and by other countries. While it is hard to quantify the benefit financially, there are undoubted long-term benefits to us. Will the Tánaiste say a little about subhead A6? One of the issues mentioned by all of the groups who appeared before the committee to speak about trade is improving air links between Ireland and America, Ireland and Canada, Ireland and the Middle East and so on. I was delighted to read in the newspapers at the weekend that Aer Lingus is reopening its route to the west coast of America due to pressure from the multinationals that will, I hope, use it, because if not they will lose it. What does this programme concentrate on? Is it links such as those, or is it in the education area?

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I thank the Chairman. Our Presidency showed other countries how to do it and how to do it in a cost-effective and economical way. My question is on trade. We have an opportunity to combine trade with human rights advocacy by insisting that labour rights be part of any trade agreements in which we are involved. As we have a position on the United Nations Human Rights Council we can use that in terms of labour rights, because we know the appalling conditions in mines and factories. The Bangladesh incident was just one of many and we know such things are happening all over. What is our stance on this issue and can we be very proactive when it comes to trade agreements?

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I remind members that we will have a special meeting on Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 17 July. If members have any questions on the issue they may put them at that meeting.

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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It would be hard not to applaud the Tánaiste and the Government from the Taoiseach down on the wonderful job they did in handling the Presidency. In that I include the officials. The COSAC meeting that we attended was mentioned. The praise we received would be embarrassing if it was not deserved. An astonishing number of international politicians and administrators praised this country for the outstanding work it has done.

If €10 million can be saved out of a budget of €60 million, perhaps that €10 million can be left for other functions within the Department. The Tánaiste mentioned all the trade missions and obviously they are all very important. Does the Tánaiste think there is a proper marrying of the role of trade in his Department with the function and role of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade? In my opinion we do not deal sufficiently with trade because it is handled by various Departments. I do know how many of us would have been aware that all of the trade missions mentioned had actually taken place. Does the Tánaiste think he has sufficiently merged the foreign affairs side, which most politicians are excellent at, with trade, which is not necessarily the immediate remit of politicians?

My second question is about the crazy decentralisation policy of the previous Government, which scattered the Department around the country, including down to Limerick. Given what has just been achieved by the Presidency in handling Europe from Dublin Castle or the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, there must be substantial savings to be made by merging the various units back to a base in Dublin, which is the seat of the Parliament and the site of the Department's headquarters. Has this issue been given consideration with a view to potential savings in administrative costs?

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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That is a very contentious question for a Deputy from the mid-west. I call the Tánaiste.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I will first deal with the question Deputy Crowe raised, which relates to the earlier question Deputy Smith raised about the trade and economic function of the Department. It is fair to say that in the world we live in now, diplomacy is largely economic. There is a concept of economic diplomacy and if one looks at the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the past two and half years in particular, one can see it has been primarily about the restoration of our reputation, with a number of objectives in mind, including the renegotiation of the bailout arrangements and work on issues such as the interest rate premium on the loans we received; the negotiations that took place with the European Central Bank, ECB, on the promissory note; the restoration of our reputation with a view to attracting investment into the country to create employment; and promotion of our exports and our trade efforts, including the work to promote The Gathering and increase tourism.

The work of our embassies and missions abroad is very much focused on achieving an economic benefit for this country in terms of employment, investment, trade and so on. To achieve that, our objective is to bring together in as coherent and as focused a way as possible the efforts of all Departments and all State agencies that are working on those missions abroad. Deputy Smith asked earlier if we were considering any revision of our missions. I have said here previously that compared to countries of comparable size, we have a very small presence abroad. We have a very small number of missions and, comparatively speaking, a small number of diplomatic staff who are serving abroad. I said at this committee previously that once we had got through the Presidency we would be looking at our mission network and examining the best way of deploying our resources - there has been a big focus on the Presidency effort in the past six months - and we will be doing that now in the period ahead. That will also coincide with a review of the country's trade strategy, and when that review is completed it will give us an opportunity to come here and talk about it more fully.

To answer Deputy Byrne's question about how we might marry, so to speak, the issue of trade with the work of this committee, one way might be to examine the work of the Export Trade Council. The committee might give me an opportunity at some point to make a report, perhaps specifically or as a separate item on the agenda.

Deputy Crowe wondered why, if there are savings, they are not reflected in the figures, and drew attention to the programme total for 2013 on programme A. Deputy Crowe is right in that on administration issues such as pay, we have taken the total payroll, including the payroll associated with missions, and apportioned it in accordance with the level of activity for the different programmes. The fact that it is up on last year reflects the Presidency work. He will find that there are some areas where there are increases in the Estimate for 2013, and that is reflecting the apportionment of budget lines for the Presidency.

I agree with Deputy Mitchell's welcome for the Aer Lingus decision to reopen the routes to San Francisco and Toronto.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the announcement made today that Shannon Airport will get direct services to New York and Boston seven days a week. That is a good advantage for the mid-west region.

We have completed programme A and will move on now to programme B, which relates to consular and passport services and services for Irish people abroad. I invite the Tánaiste to make a brief statement on this programme.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Very briefly, programme B covers consular matters and the passport service, which connects my Department directly to individual citizens of the State both at home and abroad. Through programme B, we provide vital passport and consular services as well as outreach services to Irish communities abroad. A number of good initiatives are up and running in 2013, including the provision of more services online. An upgrade of passport machinery is planned for later this year. Current passport production targets are being met, with 81% of Passport Express applications being processed on or before the ten day commitment. More than 340,000 new passports have been provided to Irish citizens to date this year. My Department has already provided consular assistance to more than 400 Irish citizens to date in 2013, including the families of 81 citizens who died abroad and in 84 arrest cases. Experience suggests that this figure will, unfortunately, increase substantially over the summer holiday season.

As members know, I have announced that this year's global Irish economic forum will be held in Dublin Castle on 4 and 5 October and preparations are well advanced for that. Funding for the emigrant support programmes is being efficiently managed, with over €7 million already allocated from a budget of €11 million this year.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste. I wish to add my tribute to the officials in the Passport Office, who are doing a great job. They are very accommodating and it is good see passports are being processed in good time. I pay tribute to all staff in the passport offices of both Cork and Dublin.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I too would like to pay tribute to Passport Office staff. We all trouble them at times, but they are always very helpful. With regard to passports, it was brought to my attention recently, although it may be incorrect, that if a person wants to have his or her passport application prioritised, an additional charge of €150 is made. I do not know whether that is the case, but I had to deal with the case of a young person who was called for an interview abroad. Fortunately, we were able to get the necessary passport issued without the imposition of that particular penalty. However, if it is correct that such a charge is applicable, I would like to see it reduced. There are times when people need to have their applications prioritised, for example at a time of bereavement or when a person is called abroad for an interview, and such an impediment should not be put in their way. A charge of €150 is a lot of money for a person who is without work.

With regard to services supporting Irish emigrants, as we all know, the cohort of people who may need support and may avail of these services consists mostly of elderly people, be they in Britain or in America. Is the Tánaiste satisfied there is enough of a network outside London - in the other cities in Britain - and in the major centres in the United States to give adequate support to those people who are living in difficult circumstances and who may not have family support? Voluntary groups working with these Irish people abroad very much value the financial support they have received over the years from the Department and they also value the interaction they have with Department officials through the embassy and the Department here.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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My question is somewhat related to that of Deputy Smith. Some people lose their passports or their passports may be stolen just when they are about to travel. I dealt with a case of this nature recently, but the Passport Office was completely intransigent on the issue. It would not budge from the regulations because there was no bereavement involved. Some leeway should be allowed because such situations do arise. The case I mention was not a case in which somebody neglected to renew a passport in time, but one in which a passport had been stolen two evenings before the person was due to travel. The result was that the person was unable to travel, but that situation was not covered by insurance.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Eighty-two percent of passports are issued within the ten day commitment. What happened with the other 18%? Was the delay because there were not enough staff or because of a mistake or omission in the application? I am aware that in some cases - for example, in the case of a passport for a person who is under age - a reference must be submitted and if that person cannot be contacted, the application is not processed. As a result, the ten days pass and even 20 days go by. However, no message is sent back to applicants to inform them that the office cannot verify that they are who they say they are. I am concerned the process is not as streamlined as it could be. I do not know why the success rate is only 82%. Why is it not 100%? If we could answer that, it might clarify the issue. Could it be that some applicants made a mistake and omitted vital information?

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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On consular services, the decision was made last year to close some embassies, and cost was clearly a factor in that decision. Is the Department on track to secure the savings anticipated when that decision was taken? I have similar concerns to those expressed by Deputy Mitchell in regard to the 18% of passport applications that are not completed within the ten day period. When people submit applications through that process, they expect they will have their passports within the defined period. Has the Tánaiste any information on why those delays occur and how the system could be improved, notwithstanding the fact that there have been huge improvements in the passport service in recent years?

The certificate of Irish heritage is an excellent initiative and there have been some high profile presentations this year, which did the initiative no harm. Are there any plans to use other innovative ideas to promote this initiative further this year?

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Unfortunately, it is when there is a difficulty with passports that these issues come across our desks. It is a nightmare to try negotiate the system in those cases and to find someone to whom one can talk in order to resolve the issue. Nine times out of ten, everything goes smoothly, but unfortunately for elected representatives, we are left in the position of dealing with the situations in which that does not happen. This is always a last-minute situation and there is always a difficulty trying to get somebody to deal with the situation.

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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In the past, the American military, Israeli assassins and possibly Russian assassins used Irish passports. Are the new biometric passports foolproof to the greatest possible extent? Is the Tánaiste satisfied that the biometric passports produced from these new machines will be practically impossible to forge? Has there been any incidence in the last few years of people managing to forge Irish passports?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Let me first deal with the passports issue. In 2012, a total of 631,947 passports were issued, which was an increase of 5.4% over the 2011 figures. The highest increase was 8% in the number of passports for children over three and under 18 years of age.

People who apply under the passport express service are given a commitment by the service that a passport will be issued within ten days of the receipt of properly completed applications. Last year, 83% of all persons applying for a passport used the passport express service. I stated earlier that 81% of passports are issued within ten days, while 92% are issued within 12 days and 99% are issued within 15 days. The main reason for the current delay in a passport not being issued within the ten days - I know there were some difficulties in the middle of last year - is usually that there is some complication with the application and it has to be referred back.

Great care has to be given to issuing a passport for a variety of reasons, especially when applications are for passports for children. Considerable care has to be taken to ensure there is not anything untoward. As Deputy Byrne has pointed out, there have been a few occasions when forgery of Irish passports has occurred. We have improved the security standard on the passport, with the use of biometrics and so on. We are in the process of designing a new passport book which will improve the security features of the passport even further.

The issue of cost was raised by Deputy Smith. The cost for a standard passport is currently €95. There is an administrative fee of €55 for adults and €30 for minors in cases where a passport is required within five working days, but that fee can be waived in cases of serious illness or health. Emergency passports are issued but only in circumstances where the passport service is satisfied, on the basis of the application and supporting evidence, that the proposed journey is related to death, serious injury or illness abroad of a close relative or a medical emergency relating to the applicant himself or herself, and that the need to travel has arisen at short notice. We encourage people to ensure that their passport is up to date, especially when making travel plans. Much work has been done on that. We have also moved to an appointment system in the passport office in Molesworth Street which is working very well. People can telephone and make an appointment and this avoids the queueing.

The issue of consular services was raised by a number of Deputies. The type of consular activity carried out by the Department relates to cases where a death has occurred, where somebody has been killed - unfortunately we have had a number of high profile cases - where somebody is seriously injured, and where somebody is arrested and gets into trouble with the law for one reason or another. The embassies and the consulates assist families in those cases. We have many cases where people who have been arrested are visited by embassy officials when they have medical needs or need access to lawyers and so on. It is very time-consuming work and it occupies a big part of what we do. This kind of work arises most often in Spain and Australia comes after that. The bulk of the consular work arises in countries where there is either a high holiday component or where there is a high number of young Irish people.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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That completes programme B. We will move on to programme C, reconciliation and co-operation on this island. Tánaiste, do you wish to make a short statement?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Programme C deals with matters related to Northern Ireland and funding for projects which bolster peace and reconciliation on the island. To this end, I approved funding of €1.5 million last month for 77 organisations through the reconciliation fund. This will be used to work at grassroots level with local communities to advance the work of overcoming division and disharmony. There will be a second round of funding after September with funds being disbursed by year-end.

Overall, our contacts with the British Government remain good with 13 visits to London by myself, the Taoiseach and Ministers so far this year. In the North, we continue to develop a collaborative network with political parties, the Northern Ireland Executive, civil society and academia.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the fact that there has been an increase in some areas of funding. We are concerned about the work of reconciliation and co-operation leading up to the marching season. The first Tour of the North march was not a great start and that is usually an indicator of how things will go. Will the Tánaiste furnish details on the 77 groups and who will get the funds? Is the Department investing in new areas of reconciliation or is it the usual groups? Is the Department breaking into new areas, especially with regard to building the peace? The Tánaiste referred to some of the positive work being done at the peace walls. Are there any new areas where the Department is allocating funding, as a result of which we will see a positive outcome in North-South co-operation and building the peace?

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Tánaiste elaborate on the impact of the peace walls programme? We know in certain communities, especially in Belfast, there are still difficulties, unfortunately. The programme of support for different groups is important and I welcome the investment. We need to get that money disbursed to as many communities as possible, especially in the areas where there are ongoing difficulties.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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I note that under subhead C3, North-South and Anglo-Irish co-operation, there is a small increase on 2012 of €45,000 provided for. We all agree that it is important to focus our attention on continuing to build on our understanding and the reconciliation projects and programmes associated with the marginalised loyalist community in the North. Is the Tánaiste in a position to identify where that additional €45,000 will be allocated?

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Is there any reconciliation funding for organisations that work with political prisoners on release?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The work to support the development of the peace process in Northern Ireland operates at several levels. We have Department officials in Belfast who work there and keep in contact with the political parties and community organisations, especially in the lead-in to and during the marching season. They monitor what is taking place and the difficult parades that take place during that period and they provide information to us on that. We also work through the North-South Ministerial Council.

I can provide a full list of the organisations funded under the various funds and the amounts they receive. In some cases the funding goes to organisations that have been receiving funding for some time because they continue to do good work in reconciliation and in breaking down barriers. Each year new organisations appear and an assessment must be made of any resulting applications. Each application for funding is fully assessed and examined and then a decision is made on the basis of the application submitted.

The peace walls programme was pioneered by the International Fund for Ireland. I visited some of the projects last year. There is strong support for maintaining the funding for those projects.

Deputy Nash made reference to savings within the Ireland fund. A total of €45,000 in savings arose within the Ireland fund. It was kept within the programme and was added to the overall fund for reconciliation. That is where the figure comes from.

A further point arose under the previous programme relating to the incident in Boston. The consul general in Boston has asked for a full report on the incident and we will be considering that when we get it. I believe I have covered all the questions.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Thank you. Programme C has been completed. We now move to programme D, international peace and security and human rights. Tánaiste, will you make a brief statement?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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My Department's commitment to international peace, security and human rights is channelled through programme D, which has a total budget of more than €70 million. Of this, almost €42 million is in the form of contributions to international organisations such as the United Nations, including funding in support of peacekeeping operations. Following our successful chairmanship of the OSCE in 2012 we are continuing our close engagement with the organisation. This year we are part of the OSCE troika along with Switzerland and the Ukraine. We have had a highly visible and active six months as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, at which EU-led resolutions were adopted on Myanmar-Burma, North Korea, Belarus, the rights of the child and freedom of religion or belief. While chairing the EU Presidency Ireland led on all of these resolutions at the Human Rights Council.

Our EU Presidency teams in Dublin and Brussels put in a remarkable effort on EU common foreign and security policy matters. The work included hosting many high level and working group meetings in Dublin, including the informal Foreign Affairs Council in Dublin Castle in March. We continue to engage closely with the United Nations and to maintain a high profile in targeted policy areas such as the millennium development goals, disarmament and UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which the committee has discussed already today. In recognition of the progressive role we play at the United Nations, our permanent representative at the United Nations in New York has been asked to act as co-facilitator of a millennium development goals summit in September.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The UN's failure to secure a resolution on Syria is very disappointing. Are there any indications that the Geneva II talks will take place soon? We have discussed it often at Question Time and here at this committee. The ongoing and escalating conflict in Syria is a terrible indictment of the international community because we all absolutely deplore the terrible suffering and displacement of so many millions and the killing of 100,000 people. Could the Tánaiste update us on any information he has about talks taking place?

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Does the cost of the Irish Chief of Staff in Somalia come out of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade budget or that of the Department of Defence? Does funding for the OSCE and the Council of Europe, which have other bodies called the parliamentary assembly, come from a separate budget? Do they play a complementary or divisive role? For example, the OSCE has a parliamentary body that does election monitoring and can manage to find that its observations run counter to those of the official OSCE body, for example, the United States of America. Does the Tánaiste think that the public image of the OSCE and ODIHR, which are based in three different countries, lead to the type of cohesiveness that is required? Is there overlap between the activities of, for example, the Council of Europe and those of the OSCE? I know this is a rambling question but I would argue very strongly that there is need for reform in the structures and possibly the funding and the role of both those bodies.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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One of the key output targets is the advancement of human rights through membership of the UN Human Rights Council. I should probably know the answer to this but what are the Government's key priorities on the council? Can the Tánaiste give us some examples of where he sees reform is needed? Deputy Smith talked about the Syrian situation. He has highlighted in the Chamber the problem of aid getting into parts of Syria and the difficulty the UN has with that. Does the Tánaiste see that as another area where reform is needed? Having seen the film about the Democratic Republic of Congo and that area, about the number of rapes and the fact that UN troops are there but do not have a mandate to deal with the terrible atrocities happening a couple of miles down the road, does the Tánaiste see changing the mandate and reforming the UN role in many of these countries as a priority?

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Having participated in the first meeting of the priority committee process for the review conference for a nuclear non-proliferation treaty, what does the Tánaiste hope to achieve as he goes to participate in a second one? Where does the Tánaiste see that there can be a role in emerging emergency situations such as that in Burma with the Rohingya people because we have a good name in this area of human rights? The budget is coming up in October and we are under the 0.5% of GDP for foreign aid. I hope that is not going to go down any further. We are conscious, through AWEPA and working with African parliaments, of parliamentary oversight and discussing of same, and we are involved in two African countries. It strikes me that this type of oversight for us here, in respect of finance, is rather rushed. Do we need more time for that? As the director of Irish Aid is here, I thank him and the personnel from Irish Aid for their contribution to, assistance at and support for the AWEPA conference last week. Vincent O'Neill and Nuala O'Brien spoke there. I appreciate that.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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There were quite a few questions in that round. Deputy Smith raised Geneva II. On 7 May, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, announced their agreement to convene an international peace conference on Syria, the purpose of which is to revive the Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012 with a probable focus on the establishment of a mutually agreed government of transition with full executive powers in Syria. Given the lack of progress on the political track in the past year and the deteriorating situation on the ground, not to mention the continuing divisions in the Security Council, this initiative remains the only serious prospect of a political solution to that conflict. There is still a large degree of uncertainty with regard to participation of all sides in that conference. Issues have been raised about other regional actors, particularly Iran. There is a view that with Ramadan starting on 9 July, it may well be autumn before this takes place. It is the only prospect in sight of getting a political resolution and it is one that we support and that the European Union supports.

In response to Deputy Byrne, the funding for the troops in Somalia comes from the budget of the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence. The troops do a great job. They have been participating in the European Union training mission for Somalia. I had the opportunity of visiting that mission last year. They do great work.

On the question of the OSCE and the parliamentary assembly, the Deputy will recall that at the OSCE ministerial meeting in Dublin in December, we agreed on the Helsinki+40 process. The Helsinki final accord will be 40 years old in 2015 and we have put in place a process to examine the OSCE and its functioning. The committee is aware that at the OSCE ministerial council in Dublin, the then president of the parliamentary assembly outlined his organisation's view that ODIHR was not adhering strictly to the 1997 co-operation agreement and announced that the parliamentary assembly regarded the agreement as no longer valid. Following the ministerial council I wrote to the president and secretary general of the parliamentary assembly to express regret at that decision. I emphasised that the prevailing view of OSCE member countries was that election observation should be a common endeavour involving ODIHR and the OSCE parliamentary assembly. There is some overlap and sometimes there are turf wars between organisations and parts of organisations. In an environment where taxpayers' money is involved, there is not much public understanding of the kind of turf wars that sometimes go on between international organisations and within international organisations. I believe, and it is a view I communicated during our chairmanship of the OSCE last year, that we need to see less of that and more focus on the objective of getting the job done in the most efficient way possible.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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That completes programme D. We now move on to programme E, appropriations-in-aid. They are returned to the Exchequer and are not available to the Department. The level of fees in respect of, for example, passports and visas, which make up the vast bulk of the appropriations-in-aid, are set by statutory instrument. If there are no comments or questions I will proceed to Vote 27 - International Co-Operation. Is that agreed? Agreed. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Joe Costello, to make a brief opening statement.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I thank the Chairman. I welcome the opportunity to meet the committee today and present the 2013 Revised Estimates for Vote 27 - International Co-Operation. I will briefly introduce the development programme placed in the context of our new policy, One World, One Future.

Vote 27, international co-operation, covers the main element of the Government's development assistance programme. The Vote provides funding for the second of the Department's high-level goals, namely, to contribute the reduction of global poverty and hunger with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

For 2013 the Government has provided a total of €622 million for official development assistance, ODA, €497 million of which will be administered under Vote 27. The remaining €125 million is accounted for through contributions to international development by other Government Departments and Ireland's share of the EU development co-operation budget. This level of funding broadly stabilises Ireland's total contribution to ODA at its 2012 level, which is a very significant achievement in what people will recognise are very challenging times.

Last week I briefed the committee on One World, One Future, our new policy for international development. The policy set out the principles, goals and priority areas for action which will guide the Government's efforts in development co-operation over the coming years. It reaffirms Ireland's commitment to international development and builds on the solid foundation of our overseas aid programme. It provides a framework for the Government to prioritise further and focus even more intently on the results we and our partners are achieving in ensuring that we maintain our sharp focus on the poorest, the hungry and the malnourished, as well as those affected by conflict, insecurity and humanitarian emergencies.

The new policy will guide all of Government actions and provide stronger coherence across Departments. It provides a fresh commitment on hunger, climate change, fragile states and human rights, including gender equality, all of which were important areas for us in the past but which will now be accorded even greater prominence. In implementing the policy the Department will seek greater prioritisation in the use of our resources, transparency, accountability and value for money. I look forward to a continued close working relationship with the committee and I am ready to discuss any aspect of the aid programme.

Before I open up the discussion, I would like to be associated with the remarks made by the Tánaiste on the Irish Presidency. It was a very intensive period, as the Chairman and members of the committee will know. Major progress was made in this area of development, especially in hunger, nutrition and food security. Not only did we hold a major international conference which many committee members attended, but it is now part of the Council conclusions and EU policy.

There were conclusions on resilience, which is the process of recovery, rehabilitation and sustainable development. The Council conclusions in this regard were moved forward with the EU. The greatest success was probably in the area of the post-2015 agenda, where we have now established the EU framework for the future, the vision, namely, the eradication of extreme poverty through sustainable development, and a lot of the priority issues to be included in that.

I do not believe all of that work could have been done without the assistance of the outstanding workforce in Irish Aid in Limerick and Dublin, some of whom are here today. I refer to Brendan Rogers, the director general of Irish Aid, Colm O'Flynn, and the secretariat involved in Brussels with the talks, trialogues and work that took place. We discussed these matters with the Chairman and committee over the six months of the Presidency.

I was impressed by the success of COSAC and AWEPA which took place last week. Many members of the committee and members of Parliament were present. I wish to put our appreciation for the continued intensive involvement of the committee in this work on the record.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his compliments.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The programme for ODA has a very substantial allocation and is one we all welcome. The percentage, at 0.48% of GDP, is welcome. We would all like to see the economic circumstances allow the figure to be increased to 0.7%.

The Minister of State said one of the key outputs to be achieved is deepening Irish public understanding of global development issues and engagement with Irish Aid. At a previous committee meeting I mentioned the negative publicity which arose as a result of the irregularities in Uganda. At the same time, it is important to get the message out about the success of the Irish programme and investment in those countries.

The Irish Aid director gave his presentation almost a year ago on what was achieved in Uganda in terms of primary school completion rates and the development of health facilities. At a time when the Irish taxpayer is putting substantial resources into this programme and the Irish public supports NGOs, Ministers and the Department should take the opportunity, when appropriate, to highlight the positives which have come from the investment over the years. Such a public awareness campaign would be very important.

One issue of which we can never create enough awareness is climate change. It is an ongoing issue which has huge consequences for the global community. We need to take every opportunity to try to improve awareness of the effects of climate change. I very much welcome the budget and compliment the Minister of State and his colleagues in Irish Aid on the valuable work that is being done, in particular those working in partner countries with very deprived communities.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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One of the key points which came up during the AWEPA conference was land grabbing and our attitude to that. The Minister of State referred to a reduction in global hunger and the startling figures on bio-fuels. I raised this issue with him in regard to the white paper on this area. It is one area we need to strengthen and respond in terms of supports and what we can do.

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I commend the Minister of State and his officials on the programme which is exciting, worthwhile and well considered. I suggest that the rapid response initiative and those who engage in rapid response work should be applauded as unofficial ambassadors and heroes who are seldom praised.

In Africa, the gender issue and the development of women's status are significant issues. A former colleague of ours, Liz McManus, is studying the issue of women in conflict zones. Support for women is a significant issue. This committee has heard from a lesbian woman from Uganda about the situation in that country. There is also discrimination against gays and lesbians in Russia. Some witnesses have argued that the religious Christian groups were acting in a very negative and detrimental manner against gay and lesbian people. The very progressive and important work carried out by our missionaries is funded to the tune of €16 million. I ask the Minister of State to reassure me that there is no conflict between the religious beliefs of those we are funding, such as Christian Aid, Trócaire and missionary organisations, and the basic human rights of women on the issue of fertility control, family planning, and possibly abortion after rape.

Good governance is a key issue. I applaud Irish Aid because I understand it was the auditor general of the Ugandan Government who isolated the potential theft of our money. I understand he was empowered to be as powerful as he is through Irish Aid programmes. I understand he is to be invited to appear before an Oireachtas committee. That is a great example of how governance must be recognised as a key issue and how it has worked efficiently and very well.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I thank Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Smith asked about overseas development aid. We have been endeavouring to stabilise the level of overseas development assistance. The Government has been successful in maintaining that assistance despite the difficult economic circumstances. The level of assistance under the previous Government, as Deputy Smith will know, reached the highest level of funding at 0.5% of GDP. Previous taoisigh had given the commitment that we would reach 0.7%, and this is the same commitment from this Government. The level of funding had reduced by approximately 30%, but this Government has pretty much stabilised it to slightly under 0.5%. It is the intention to seek to reach our targets at the earliest opportunity. These are matters to be decided by the Cabinet in the context of the budget. The other EU member states have been very complimentary during our Presidency that despite the difficult circumstances, the effort was made to maintain that high level of overseas development aid for those who are much less well off than ourselves.

Deputies Brendan Smith and Eric Byrne referred to the fraud perpetrated in Uganda involving €4 million of Irish assistance and similar amounts from other countries, including Denmark and Norway. The fraud was discovered by the auditor general whose office had received a substantial contribution from Irish Aid. This ensured the office had the resources and expertise to conduct the investigation without fear or favour, including an investigation of the prime minister's office. That investigation is ongoing. The prime mover in the fraud has been convicted and is now serving a prison sentence of five years. A number of other people will be coming before the courts presently. I have every intention of inviting the Ugandan auditor general to Ireland at a suitable time. He is a witness to what can be done by good governance and practice. We are determined that no funding will be given through Ugandan government channels in the future until such time as the entire investigation and prosecution is completed. The level of funding currently going to Uganda is approximately half what it was previously and it is not being disbursed by the Ugandan Government. Education and health projects in the north of Uganda - in Karramoja - are being funded because it is a poor area. No Ugandan Government agency is involved in the delivery of that aid.

Deputy Crowe raised the issue of land grabbing. This is a serious issue in many parts of Africa where ownership of large amounts of land is being transferred in one form or another to people outside the country. The traditional mechanism of landholding is quite different from systems in the developed world. It is a collective system and, as such, there is no individual landowner. Nevertheless, ranches and large tracts of land have been leased long-term for bio-fuel activity in many cases. The European Union decided that 10% of transport fuel should be bio-fuel.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste and the Minister for State for their attendance and for dealing so thoroughly with the matters raised by Deputies. I also thank the officials who accompanied them, namely, Mr. David Donoghue, Mr. Barrie Robinson, Mr. David Cooney, the Secretary General of the Department, Mr. Brendan Rogers, the director general of Irish Aid, Mr. Colm Ó Floinn, Ms Anne Barrington, Mr. Niall Burgess, Mr. Tim Mawe and Mr. Michael Tiernan.