Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 380: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of task forces currently operating in his Department; the membership and terms of reference; the name of each one; the estimate cost of the taskforce; if he will report on the progress being made by the task force; if they have made any recommendations to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3165/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 381: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the taskforces established under the auspices of his Department in the past five years; the recommendations made by each taskforce; the progress being made in implementing these recommendations; if specific recommendations have been rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3180/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 382: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the taskforces established under the auspices of his Department in the past five years; the cost of these taskforces in terms of administrative support, expenses, research and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3195/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 to 382, inclusive, together.

There is currently one task force operating in my Department. This is the Hunger Task Force which is serviced by the Development Co-operation Directorate of my Department. This is the only task force which has been established under the auspices of my Department in the past five years.

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. 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. The next meeting is a field visit to Malawi which will take place from the 27th to the 29th of February 2008. It is estimated that the total cost of the Task Force will be in the region of €250,000.

The report of the Hunger Task Force is due around the middle of 2008 and it 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.

Members of the Hunger Task Force include a number of renowned national and international experts in the field of food security and development. A list of their names is set out below.

Mr Joe Walsh, Chairman

Ms Nancy Aburi, Self Help Development International

Dr Pamela K. Anderson, International Potato Centre

Mr Tom Arnold, Concern Worldwide

Mr Paul David Hewson (Bono)

Mr Kevin Farrell, World Food Programme

Professor Michael Gibney, UCD

Professor Lawrence Haddad, UK Institute of Development Studies

Mr Justin Kilcullen, Trócaire Professor

Denis Lucey, UCC

Mr Aidan O'Driscoll, Department of Agriculture

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Columbia University

Ms Josette Sheeran, World Food Programme

Ms Sheila Sisulu, World Food Programme