Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

The Government has a long-standing policy of responding to requests for election observers in as positive a manner as possible. Over the last ten years, Ireland has participated in over 80 missions and has fielded more than 750 election observers. The election observation mission programme is run by the volunteering unit in the development co-operation division of my Department. This is located in the new Irish Aid volunteering and information centre in O'Connell Street in Dublin, which was officially opened last month.

Our main partner organisations for co-ordinating election monitoring are the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations volunteers programme. Irish Aid also supports the election observation activities of the Carter Center, especially its programme to promote best practice in election observation. We send a small number of Irish observers to work with the Carter Center on its election missions.

The procedure for the selection of observers for these missions is based on processes developed by the Agency for Personal Service Overseas, which was the original agency responsible for administering the scheme. Since the integration of APSO into Irish Aid into 2004, the same approach to the selection of observers has been taken. A register of volunteers with election experience is maintained and updated on an annual basis. Selection for missions takes into account the skills required such as language proficiency and experience and knowledge of the country concerned.

In recent years, the election observation programme has been further developed with the fielding by Ireland of long-term observers for the first time in 2006, the inclusion of parliamentary representatives on the roster and the provision of training programmes for short-term observers. The numbers of participants in election observation missions has risen from 43 in 2004 to 95 in 2007. Currently we are considering invitations to observe forthcoming elections in Armenia, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal and Russia. I hope that we will be in a position to make a positive response.

In the interests of transparency and best practice, the roster is currently being updated with a view to putting it onto the Irish Aid website. I intend to continue to take a pro-active approach to having an Irish presence in election monitoring, where and whenever possible.

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