Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

As a percentage of the overall budget, the NGO sector does better in this country than in almost any other within the OECD. I believe that up to 20% of our budget goes to the NGOs, which is very high. That is something that should be acknowledged.

In terms of the administrative budget here, from about 2007-10, and particularly from 2008 to date, it has been hovering around the €35.708 million or €35.8 million mark, but the actual outturn was lower. The Deputy is comparing the figures to the outturn, not the original Estimate, and we are determined to bring in the administration budget again below the Estimate for 2010, so that the outturn at the end of the year is lower than what is actually provided for.

Deputy Deasy has been one of the strongest advocates for good governance of the aid programme. One of the criticisms of our programme in recent years was the fact that it grew very significantly over the last seven to eight years without any significant corresponding administrative increase. There was an administrative increase, but not at the levels the increased budgets, perhaps, necessitated.

The administrative budget is the engine of governance as regards this programme, which is still relatively large in budgetary terms. I should also emphasise that we compare favourably to the DAC average of 4.4%. To give the Deputy an example of what other OECD Development Assistance Committee donor countries spend on administration, as a percentage of total ODA in 2008, Finland is at 6.4%, Denmark is 4.9%, Sweden is 4.8% and Norway is 5.3%. Ireland is at 3.8%, so we are well below those countries in terms of the total OFA allocation actually spent on administration.

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