Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 274: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the terms of reference, functions and purpose of the Development Education Advisory Committee; if the agency is still operational; the reason these functions cannot be carried out by his Department; the benefits to the Irish taxpayer gained from the work of the agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35026/07]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Development Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) was appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2003 to advise on development education policy and on ways of increasing knowledge and understanding of development issues in Ireland. The Committee also has a role in overseeing reviews and evaluations of development education activities and in managing an annual consultation forum.

The Committee serves a two year term and comprises eleven members who are experienced professionals from the formal and non-formal education sectors, as well as from the Department of Education and Science and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The expert advice provided by members contributes directly to the effectiveness of the work of the Department in promoting development education.

In recent years the Committee has identified new opportunities for development education and successfully promoted shared learning between key stakeholders in the sector through annual consultations. The DEAC has provided detailed advice in preparing the new 2007-2011 Irish Aid Development Education Strategy. The term of the Committee was renewed for a further two years in October this year.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 275: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the terms of reference, functions and purpose of the Dion advisory committee; if the agency is still operational; the reason these functions cannot be carried out by his Department; the benefits to the Irish taxpayer gained from the work of the agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35027/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Díon Advisory Committee has no executive or operational function. All operational matters in relation to the considerable Government support for our community in Britain — particularly the vulnerable among our citizens there — are the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and specifically are managed by the Irish Abroad Unit in the Department and the Embassy in London, with the assistance of our Consulates in Scotland and Wales. However, Díon provides valuable advice on applications for funding received from organisations in Britain.

The Advisory Committee was set up originally in 1984 in response to concerns about the situation of a considerable number of our emigrants in Britain. The Chairperson and the Secretary of the Committee are officials at our Embassy in London, and the other members serve in a voluntary capacity. This is selfless work by a small number of volunteers, for which I have, on many occasions, expressed my sincere appreciation. I would like to do so again here.

The members of the Committee have traditionally been chosen for their knowledge and wide experience of the Irish community in Britain, and the issues that they face.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the terms of reference, functions and purpose of the National Committee For Development Education; if the agency is still operational; the reason these functions cannot be carried out by his Department; the benefits to the Irish taxpayer gained from the work of the agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35028/07]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 277: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the terms of reference, functions and purpose of the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, the Hunger Task Force and the National Committee for Development Education; if the agencies are still operational; the reason these functions can not be carried out by his Department; the benefits to the tax payer here gained from the work of the agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35056/07]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together.

The Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, more commonly known as the Fulbright Commission for Ireland, was established by the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991. The Commission facilitates a programme of educational exchange between Ireland and the United States of America. The Commission remains operational. The Commission comprises eight members, four of whom are appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and four of whom are appointed by the Ambassador of the United States to Ireland.

Over the last 50 years some 700 Irish students and scholars have enjoyed and benefited from educational opportunities in the United States, under the aegis of the Commission and its predecessor the Scholarship Exchange Board.

The establishment of a Hunger Task Force was one of the recommendations of the White Paper on Irish Aid published in September 2006. The aim of the Hunger Task Force is to identify the additional, appropriate and effective contributions that Ireland can make to international efforts to reduce hunger. Members of the Hunger Task Force include a number of renowned national and international experts in the field of food security and development.

The first meeting of the Hunger Task Force took place in Dublin on 14th September 2007 and the second in University College Cork on the 16th of November 2007. Two further meetings are planned for the first half of next year and the report of the Hunger Task Force is due around the middle of 2008.

The report will outline a number of key actions which Ireland can take to give practical leadership internationally on the attainment of the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of those who suffer from hunger by 2015. It is expected that the report will also result in Ireland taking a more effective and focused approach to tackling hunger.

The National Committee for Development Education (NCDE) was established in 1994. Its aim was to promote development education through cooperation with groups, schools, and other relevant institutions in Ireland. Other functions included the administration of Department of Foreign Affairs grants for development education, monitoring the impact of this support and fostering good practice.

The NCDE was instrumental in promoting development education in the formal and non- formal education sectors. The significant work carried out by the Committee in each of the areas of its mandate was noted in the 2002 Ireland Aid Review. In December 2002 the NCDE ceased operation and its functions were assumed by the Department of Foreign Affairs. A Development Education Advisory Committee was established in 2003 to advise the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aid on development education and on ways of increasing knowledge and understanding of development issues. The term of the Committee was renewed for a further two years in October this year.