Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role of the interdepartmental committee on development in relation to the operation of the Irish Aid project within his Department; the points of decision making within the structure and the role of such an advisory body as exists, its role, and relationship to the interdepartmental committee on development and himself or the Minister of State at his Department. [4246/08]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The White Paper on Irish Aid included a commitment to establish a new interdepartmental committee on development to strengthen coherence in the Government's approach to development and to make best use of the expertise and skills available across the public service. I am pleased to say that, in line with that commitment, an interdepartmental committee on development has been established. It has met three times under my chairmanship. The next meeting will take place at the end of February.

The committee aims to strengthen coherence on development policy across Government. Development co-operation does not take place in isolation from other Government policies and the need for greater coherence in policies across sectors that affect developing countries is recognised. Examples of issues that are vital to the developing countries include trade, climate change and debt relief. Government Departments are represented on the interdepartmental committee by senior level officials who are actively engaging in the work. Two subgroups of the committee have been established, one to look at developing a more coherent policy in our relationships with multilateral organisations and the second focusing on making best use of the expertise and skills available across the public service in our development aid programme. The committee will report annually to the Minister for Foreign Affairs outlining its activities and making recommendations as appropriate.

The advisory board for Irish Aid was established in 2002 to provide oversight and advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the strategic direction of the Government's programme of assistance to developing countries. The board's membership is drawn from a broad range of backgrounds, including the non-governmental organisations, community, public service, social partners and the business sector. The board's mission is to oversee the expanding programme, advise on strategic direction and work closely with Irish Aid to maximise quality, effectiveness and accountability. The current board's term of office will end later this year.

A major review of the management of the Irish Aid programme is currently under way. The aim of the review is to ensure the systems, structures, procedures and staffing of Irish Aid can deliver a high quality aid programme as funding expands towards reaching the target of 0.7% of GNP target by 2012, as committed to by the Taoiseach. It is hoped the review will be completed this spring.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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I am grateful for the Minister of State's reply. What is the relationship of the interdepartmental committee to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs? I was trying to tease out in my question the relationship of the advisory board to the new interdepartmental committee. My understanding is that the advisory board's advice to the Minister is not published nor is it available to us in the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. Is the advice or the advisory board accountable to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs?

The final question is very practical. What is the role of Irish Aid within the Department of Foreign Affairs in regard to the selection of projects? Is it the case that Irish Aid decides the project or that it monitors the project upon which a decision has been given by the interdepartmental committee, in other words the Vote in relation to Irish Aid? Are the decisions on the principles taken within Irish Aid or has its role changed so that it now monitors the expenditure on decisions taken by the committee?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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I appreciate the good work the Minister of State is doing and I am sure he is chairing the group well. However, I am still left with the two questions. Irish Aid is structured so that the funding is voted to the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is not only a case of who takes the decision but also who forms the options. Is it the case that the interdepartmental committee is forming the options so the proposals are moved from Irish Aid and are now the possession of the interdepartmental committee?

The second issue relates to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which I am a long-standing member. If that committee's sub-committee on development asks the interdepartmental committee to make a presentation to it, will it be Irish Aid which attends or representatives of the full committee? Will they be able to tell the sub-committee how proposals are initiated, processed and decided?

On a final point, I need an assurance that the role of Irish Aid would not simply be that its staff would monitor the expenditure on projects that have been decided outside the Department, which might not necessarily make the aid side of the issue the priority criteria for decision-making.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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There was a White Paper——

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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I remember it. I have been trying to forget it since.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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——commitment, to which the Deputy referred. This issue has to do with coherence. The interdepartmental committee is open to all Departments with a role in development plans, including the Departments of Finance, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Health and Children.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is also involved.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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It is about coherence and these Departments working together.

The advisory board comes before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs with reports and we have an opportunity to meet its members at such committee meetings.