Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to review the Overseas Development Aid paper; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1574/13]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid set out clearly the basis and priorities for Ireland’s official aid programme which is working on behalf of the Irish people to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. The programme has been recognised internationally for its focus on poverty and hunger, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and also for its leadership in making aid more effective. The review of the White Paper on Irish Aid is one of the commitments contained in the programme for Government. We wanted to carry out such a review to examine the progress being made by our aid programme, to assess the changed context, globally and here at home, and to set out our future priorities as the international community considers the framework for international development after 2015, the target date for the millennium development goals.

A very vibrant public consultation was undertaken for the review between February and April of last year, which was overseen by the independent Irish Aid expert advisory group. We met more than 1,000 people across Ireland and in our partner countries, and received a large number of written submissions. We also undertook consultation across Departments and in various committees in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Since then, we have embarked on a process of considering carefully the contributions made during the consultation period as well as the available evidence on what works best. Based on this we have finalised a new policy on Ireland’s role in global development. This policy will be submitted for Government approval in the near future.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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In regard to the review, has the Minister of State taken into account the programmes operated by other countries? I do not know which in particular - one hopes our country is seen as one that has best practice in regard to development programmes but I presume other countries run very efficient and effective programmes too. Has any of these programmes, or strands thereof, been taken into account in the Minister of State's review? I welcome that there was widespread consultation within this country as well as elsewhere.

When the Minister of State replied to Deputy Crowe on the reduction in the level of overseas development aid since 2008, he spoke about a 30% reduction. Was that reduction in the quantum of money, or does it take into account the downturn in the economy, the smaller GNP and the fact that we assess the millennium goals and the overall targets we hope to achieve on the basis of the percentage of GNP?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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On the last point, the 30% reduction is accordance with the official target sought and is described officially as gross national income, which is, effectively, gross national product. In terms of other countries, we are very au fait with what is going on and take much of that into consideration. There are, of course, some differences between us and many other countries, one such relating to tied aid. Many other countries practise tied aid whereas ours is untied. In other words we do not make our aid provision dependent on any contingent consideration. It is separate from any other condition.

We were anxious to discover what was happening elsewhere in the world - we did so - but we were especially anxious to discover what the people who were providing the funds for Irish Aid thought and what were their views on how we should proceed. That is why we held meetings in Cork, Galway, Sligo, Dublin and elsewhere. We invited members of the public to attend these meetings in order that we might obtain the best of their views. They made a large number of proposals and suggestions which, in so far as is possible, have been incorporated into our final proposals.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister of State accept that most people would agree with aid being provided in times of crisis? I do not believe people have a hugely negative view of development. However, their perceptions become muddied when aid is being provided for large countries with massive resources and corrupt governments. If we are seen to be involved in such countries, difficulties often arise. This is because of the extreme circumstances which obtain in many of the countries to which I refer. People want us to learn from the mistakes we made in the past, but they become concerned when they consider where Irish aid goes. That is why clear evidence must be provided of where the money goes and how it is spent. People refer to Uganda in the negative, but it must be seen in a positive light, particularly when one considers the changes which have occurred there in the past decade. These changes are the result of work done by a number of countries and Ireland is in there with the best of them in that regard. Rather than always being negative, people should congratulate Irish Aid on the work it is doing in Uganda.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My point is similar to that made by Deputy Seán Crowe. Mr. Brendan Rogers and his colleagues from the Tánaiste's Department recently made a presentation to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade in which they highlighted the progress made in the areas of health and education in Uganda. I refer, in particular, to the increase in the number of people who are completing their education at primary level and to the development of health facilities. This positive message must be communicated to the public at large, especially those who find themselves under continual pressure in their household budgets and became concerned when difficulties arose in respect of the misappropriation of funds for Uganda. Has the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanctioned the appointment of a professionally qualified chief financial officer? It is important that we send another message to the public, namely, that the assessment of risk is to the fore. The positive message regarding the great success of our overseas development programme must be got across to people, particularly during these challenging economic times.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The appointment of a chief financial officer is under discussion with the Department. There is not yet a final outcome in this matter, but there should be one soon.

On communicating the good news relating to overseas development assistance, we have established a new website - it went live just after Christmas - which makes it possible to obtain current information on everything taking place. In the context of how aid provided by Ireland is spent, there is no doubt, as Deputy Seán Crowe stated, that this a good news story, particularly in the context of the way in which the matter was dealt with. Our actions highlight the fact that we will not tolerate any form of corruption and that there are mechanisms in place to deal with corruption. What occurred also showed that where further improvements were required, they would be made. Unlike most other countries, Ireland provides a greater proportion of its funding for non-governmental organisations, NGOs. Our embassies are responsible for monitoring and overseeing what happens to much of the funding disbursed. As a result, there is a level of direct contact regarding the funding provided by the Department and the way in which it is distributed. We engage with foreign governments only in respect of projects which can be carried out in the context of broad policy issues - for example, in health - and where we are satisfied that what a particular government is doing is proving to be beneficial. The projects to which I refer are assessed on that basis.