Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with much of what Deputy Crowe said, but we have an obligation to raise questions when things may not be as they seem to be. Concerns were raised recently about the €4 million designated for aid in Uganda that went elsewhere within the country. Given the economic constraints and the limited budget at home, whereby we all want more done with less, is the Minister of State confident that the Department’s and Irish Aid’s procedures are robust enough to ensure the same thing will not happen again?

Are we involved in a process whereby we can audit or assess Irish Aid and the delivery of its projects in other countries? I do not want to single out Uganda. Maybe there should be a spot check every now and again. I agree with Deputy Crowe’s point about how we are perceived internationally, but at home, too, the Government and the Oireachtas must be perceived as holding people to account. When €4 million goes missing, that is no small amount of money, as the Minister of State must appreciate. We must learn something from this experience.

See this speech in context