Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

I thank all the Deputies who contributed on this issue and welcome the positive statements and support for our involvement.

Deputy Bruton raised the issue of governance and this was a general theme. He did not suggest any amendments and was warm in his welcome of the admission of Mongolia. He suggested we should have a healthy scepticism with regard to our monitoring of how the money is spent. Deputies Michael Higgins and Burton added that this should extend further than a healthy scepticism.

The IMF does not dominate the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank or the EBD. The IMF does not have any agencies. In terms of our influence, we have a single representative on the IMF, and this is generally our Minister. If the Minister does not attend, the Governor of the Central Bank attends. Therefore, we have a voice there. Our report is presented on an annual basis and comes up for scrutiny. The suggestion that we should report more often or on a daily basis does not make sense, but clearly Deputy Michael Higgins has some misgivings in this regard.

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