Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

It is not the business of Irish Aid to fund the administrative decentralisation of organisations we happen to fund, whether non-governmental organisations or any other type of body. Irish Aid does not enter into this type of assistance and should not engage in such measures as it would amount to paying for administration, rather than providing financial and other assistance to those we seek to help in the developing world. If NGOs wish to remain in a collaborative and co-operative relationship with Irish Aid they can and will do so. I do not envisage the existing good relationship being worsened by the move to Limerick, just as I do not accept that the relationship between the Department of Education and Science and teachers has worsened in the 20 or 30 years since a significant proportion of its operations moved to Athlone. I do not see any issue here. Anybody who has dealt either at a political or official level with the Department of Education and Science in Athlone will say the same. There was no change in the underlying relationship between teachers and departmental staff by dint of the Department being substantially decentralised to Athlone in respect of a major part of its activities.

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