Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

The scheme seems to be part of this whole contribution. It is not related to this particular subject. Ireland is becoming a member state of the Council of Europe Development Bank, an old established institution that is under the authority of the Council of Europe. As a new member of the Council of Europe I am still trying to familiarise myself with its workings. I am still looking at the wider membership, including several countries associated with the council, and how it drives its social and human rights agenda. Most of those countries associated with the council are new and developing democracies who therefore have a great many problems, including on human rights. The current interests in the bank reflect that.

Having visited Turkey some weeks ago and examined its problems in the areas of human and minority rights, I believe it is a great opportunity that we should become a member of the bank to show our solidarity with the Council of Europe and the very important projects taking place in the changing Europe of today. It has been asked why we are becoming members only now. Of course, it is a signal that we have arrived and are now a major player in the EU. Although we are still a small country, we want to be involved and show responsibility and a willingness to play our part in a wider, changing Europe. This is a golden opportunity for us to show our solidarity now.

The Minister outlined the role of the Council of Europe Development Bank, which will have a social vocation, including social housing, health, education, rural modernisation and small enterprise. In addition, there is a regional remit to deal with refugees, displaced persons and migrants. It is good to share the burden to ensure that social cohesion is realised across Europe.

The Minister referred to the eligibility criteria and how projects will be monitored. Will the conditions be met fully? Will the bank work within Council of Europe conventions? I am not convinced that the Minister highlighted how countries will measure up to those criteria, such as how to respect the environment on the basis of international conventions and compliance with equality standards. There is a danger that support will be provided for economic projects that have a long-term impact on the environment. It is therefore important to apply the criteria. Will there be a mechanism in place to carry out the evaluation? What mechanism is in place to monitor the investment?

I am also concerned about what structures will be put in place to report progress. Many committees are subcommittees of the Council of Europe. Will there be interaction between those relevant to the area and the bank?

On the question of migration, we now know that people from developing countries, including the ten new EU member states, which are still developing their democracies, are moving to more prosperous countries with higher standards of living. There must be proper structures in place to address that. Ireland will have a responsibility in this regard and the fact that we are now becoming a contributor to the bank means that we will want questions to be answered on how money is spent. Social projects can be vague, especially with regard to the way in which programmes are implemented. It is very important that the bank measure countries against the eligibility criteria and requirements and that a monitoring structure be put in place to report on how money is spent. We often hear reports that money has been lost or wasted because too many people were working on a project.

It is very important that Ireland plays a part. We should be delighted that our money is going in the right direction, but we need transparency and accountability. It is worthwhile, and we are delighted that Ireland has become a member of the bank now. It is an expression of our solidarity. We have come a long way and are playing a major role. Having said that, we like to think that there is transparency regarding how money is spent on such projects, particularly in states emerging from being less democratic than westernised countries. I have seen examples where projects failed because they were not properly monitored or supervised.