Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if cuts imposed in the 2008 and 2009 budgets have impacted on the achievement of the six high-level goals from the statement of strategy 2008 to 2010; if the goals and the statement of strategy have been reviewed in view of the cutbacks imposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31774/09]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The high-level goals of the Department of Foreign Affairs address the full range of Ireland's foreign policy objectives. Successful delivery of its objectives is critically dependent upon the effective management of the Department's resources and its ability to adapt and to manage change. As part of the Government's fiscal adjustment process, the Department has undergone a reduction in the financial resources available to it. The Department's budget for this year is 21% less than its outturn expenditure for 2008. Naturally, this reduction in resources has had some impact on the speed at which we attain our objectives.

Beyond the question of resources, the delivery of our objectives also depends on the context and environment in which we operate. Our credibility abroad and our international reputation are as important as the availability of resources. An important element in Ireland's success over recent years has been its ability to be a constructive and reliable partner in the conduct of foreign policy. Our ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances has been another aspect that has served as strength.

There is no doubt that events in 2008 and 2009 have tested our ability, as a country, to respond to changing circumstances. During this period, the Department has been working very hard to ensure that our international reputation is preserved and our international partners fully understand the Government's strategy for recovery. It is also fair to say that the outcome of the Lisbon treaty referendum last summer further complicated this task.

The achievement of the specific high-level goals of the Department is kept under regular review. Earlier this month, the Minister convened a meeting of the heads of mission of all our embassies to review the goals and re-examine our priorities.

At that conference, it was stressed to the heads of mission that advancement of our economic interests overseas was of paramount importance in the coming period. I note Deputy Timmins made this point a few moments ago. To ensure that the Department continues to maximise its performance, a strategy and performance unit has been established dedicated to overseeing the review of the Department's structures. I greatly regret that in response to budgetary pressures the Government was obliged to make the short-term reductions outlined by the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, on the overseas development aid, ODA, side.

Adjustments were implemented across the programme in such a way as to minimise the impact in any single area. While the cut in the ODA allocation for 2009 is significant, as the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, has stated, this follows a period of unprecedented increases in ODA volumes. We face a specifically difficult period and the allocation of €696 million for 2009 on ODA represents a trebling in the volume of ODA delivered over the past ten years.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State has acknowledged there will be an impact on achievement of the aforementioned six high-level goals. Does the Government intend to change or amend those goals? Clearly there must be an impact and it was mentioned earlier that the commitment given on Irish Aid will not be adhered to. Does the Minister intend to drop any of the goals or does he intend to publish a statement to amend the intentions as outlined in the Statement of Strategy 2008-2010?

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister of State noted in the previous response, we are working closely to achieve our goals over a period in respect of ODA. It is worth mentioning the six goals because Members have been discussing them in the abstract. The first goal is to contribute to international peace and security - no Government, irrespective of its make-up, will demur from that - and to promote conflict resolution and respect for human rights. This is at the core of our values as a nation. The second goal pertains to implementation of the Good Friday Agreement regarding which, thankfully, we have moved on. The goal regarding Irish Aid already has been discussed. Promotion of Ireland's bilateral relations with other countries and advancement of our economic interests remains a goal. However, the question arises as to how to achieve it. I refer to Deputy Timmins's earlier contribution and perhaps one can consider different deployments and methods to this end. As for securing Ireland's interests in the European Union, the Irish people will make a major decision in this regard on 2 October. The sixth high-level goal is to provide a high-quality passport and consular service to all Irish citizens and to engage with the Irish diaspora. While it may be that we will suffer some curtailment of our ambitions in respect of each area, I do not foresee our abandonment of any of these goals.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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To be constructive, I wish to make a point on this issue. I understand that NGOs have been more or less told to make preliminary plans on the basis of a 70% allocation and some of them have been trying to respond in this regard. I note the annual audit report of 2008 places significant emphasis, for example, on what one might call the improvement of on-site financial reporting from the different recipient countries. While I do not argue against this, it is not at the top of my priorities. It might be valuable to consider how goals are established in such recipient countries as to what is most valuable to them. However, my most important point is that there should be dialogue between the Department and its recipient NGOs to ensure that the number of people engaged in projects is not lost to avoid severe disruptions to the programmes. Consequently, even if a programme is thinner, at least the people working in it will not be lost. This is a terribly important point.

I will make a final point because this is my only opportunity. I am worried about the inability of the Department to respond to disasters associated with climate change. For example, the position in northern Kenya is serious. The animals there have been lost as the effects of drought and famine have meant that people are killing elephants to eat their flesh, apart from stealing the ivory. The Department should be able to respond immediately, even if the Kenyan Government is slow to make an appeal for assistance.

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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To take that last point, the Deputy is aware that a €75 million fund has been set aside to address humanitarian emergencies, including climate-related emergencies.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Will the Minister of State consider this particular issue?

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. The other point already has been addressed by Deputy Peter Power, who, with his section, is working closely with the NGO community to deal with the specific point made by Deputy Deasy earlier. There is realisation in the community that while times are difficult, we wish to avoid, in so far as is possible, discontinuities, particularly on the issue of staffing. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, may wish to add a comment.

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I share the Deputy's concern to try to resolve the difficulties which these reductions impose. I acknowledge they pose severe challenges for the NGOs. However, the real challenge is to use the reduced allocations and resources in a much more effective fashion. We are doing so in Irish Aid and are challenging all our partners to do the same. While this is not easy, I take the Deputy's point regarding the retention of the bank of human knowledge, experience and capital within the NGO sector. In addition, we are working to keep volunteering alive and the Department will host a volunteering fair at the end of next week to encourage additional volunteering.