Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

The board and the committee have essentially advisory roles but this is not to underestimate their influence. Their recommendations to the Minister for Foreign Affairs draw on a wide range of input and expertise and they feed directly into the work of Irish Aid.

On the question of projects, at present the advisory board is at the United Nations in New York. We are very grateful to its chairman, Chris Flood, who visited Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami.

It is clear that while they have different roles, both bodies are advisory. To give an example, at one of the meetings of the interdepartmental committee that I chaired, the Dutch experience of policy coherence for development was presented. I am happy with the progress the interdepartmental committee is making. I plan to report to the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, on the work and relevant recommendations of the committee by next June.

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