Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the educational initiatives which are funded by his Department; the location of such initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25125/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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There are a number of programmes within my Department which support educational initiatives. While some of the supported activity takes place within Ireland, most of the monies are expended on educational initiatives overseas, particularly in the developing countries.

The Department's Reconciliation Fund, which supports organisations involved in promoting improved relations between the two communities in Northern Ireland and between both parts of Ireland, has supported a limited number of educational activities focused on achieving enhanced dialogue and mutual understanding. Grantees in the broad area of education have included the Irish School of Ecumenics and the Integrated Education Fund.

In the areas of conflict resolution and democracy building, the Department has supported a number of educational activities, including the scholarship in memory of the late Swedish Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh, and our contribution to the European Humanities University focused on Belarus. The Department's "Communicating Europe Initiative" has also supported a number of educational activities designed to achieve a better understanding of issues relating to the European Union; these included support to the National Adult Literary Centre for an informational publication on the EU and a case study on Enlargement, published in the printed media, which was circulated to all secondary schools.

As part of the promotion of cultural relations with other countries, my Department makes an annual grant (currently amounting to €254,000) to the Ireland — US Fulbright Commission. This programme, jointly funded by the Irish and United States Governments and in operation since 1957, provides awards to enable postgraduate students, post-doctoral scholars and professionals to study, undertake research and lecture at prominent US third-level colleges. In addition, the Department supports a small number of Irish Studies programmes at, and provides book donations to, selected universities abroad.

As part of the Government's Asia Strategy, the Department funds and administers the Shanghai Internship Programme. As well as attending briefings and seminars on political and economic matters, the participants from Shanghai attend an intensive English language course in Ireland.

The support of education provision has always been a focal point of Ireland's official development aid (ODA) programme, delivered by Irish Aid. The Government's forthcoming White Paper on Development Cooperation will reaffirm our ongoing commitment to education in developing countries — in particular, the emphasis on universal primary education; strengthening the capacity of national systems; and ensuring increased participation of girls and women in the education system.

Irish Aid has supported the strengthening of the education sector in its bilateral development programmes in Lesotho, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, South Africa and Palestine. Supporting educational infrastructure is also an important element of the partnership programmes with the major NGOs that are funded by Irish Aid. On the multilateral level, Irish Aid contributes to a number of development programmes that are focused on education; these include UNICEF, the World Bank's Education for All Fast Track Initiative and activities promoted by the European Development Fund. Irish Aid also supports a fellowship programme for postgraduate students from developing countries.

In Ireland, the Department promotes development education to raise awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live. Development Education seeks to engage people in analysis, reflection and action for local and global citizenship and participation. The Department's Development Education Unit is currently engaged in developing a "Linking and Immersion Scheme" for second level schools in Ireland and a programme for engagement between Irish Aid and third level education and research institutions. Both schemes should be rolled out in 2007.

Finally, I might mention that the Department provides support through a "Refund of Fees Scheme" to officers who are pursuing, in their own time, educational courses that are accepted as being relevant to their employment in the Civil Service. A total of 45 Departmental officers are currently availing of this Scheme.

If there are specific aspects of the above educational initiatives and activities on which the Deputy would like more detailed information, I would be happy to arrange for its provision.