Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Firing a few Cabinet Ministers in Tanzania may be viewed as positive in some quarters but to this side of the House it demonstrates a legitimate concern about Irish aid in programme countries. We are proposing to give €70 million in 2008 to Tanzania, which has had a difficulty with its Cabinet, and Zambia, where former president Chiluba is under investigation. Does the Minister of State have concerns that all the aid will not get there? Has the time come to have an open mind about the direct aid model, whereby we give money to a project and appoint an Irish project manager who will employ local people? Have we examined this rather than giving it to countries or has it been written out of the script? We have no direct evidence that Irish aid money is going astray but we must follow up on this over the next period of time. We are concerned that the sum of almost €1 billion this and next year might not get to where it should go.

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