Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

In some cases, organisations receive allocations at different times. Some organisations develop their programmes and have discussions with my officials earlier than others. I do not become deeply involved in these matters and officials generally submit proposals to me to be signed off. I signed off on three such proposals but did not sign off on the Self Help Development International allocation. Discussions with GOAL are ongoing.

Given the large sums of money being advanced to non-governmental organisations and for reasons related to how the Department audits and assures itself that funding allocations will be appropriately and properly spent — matters raised by Deputy Allen in an earlier question — the Department does not enter into a pro forma process. Deep discussion takes place and the Department and Irish Aid hire external contractors or consultants to evaluate proposals submitted under multi-annual funding schemes. Considerable negotiation takes place on the proposals. I am confident we will be able to make an announcement regarding GOAL shortly, subject to agreement being reached between the charity, on the one hand, and my officials and the consultants who evaluate the various proposals, on the other.

Three out of five allocations have been made and a fourth is, I hope, imminent. As regards the fifth proposal from Self Help Development International, the Department may examine it towards the end of the year. SHDI is carrying out an intimate internal governance review of its structure and organisation following the row and feuding which took place early in the year. The organisation will probably seek multi-annual funding to complete the MAPS II, which runs from 2007 to 2011, towards the end of the year but will first satisfy itself that its governance structures are in order.

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