Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 743: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the non-governmental organisations with which Irish Aid works in relation to overseas development aid. [1568/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The overarching goal of the Government's aid programme, administered by Irish Aid, is the reduction and eventual eradication of global poverty and hunger. Our partnership with development Non-Governmental Organisations represents a very important element of this effort. Irish Aid engages with NGOs through the Multi Annual Programme Scheme (MAPS), the Civil Society Fund and a number of Emergency funding schemes. It also cooperates closely with Misean Cara, representing Irish missionaries working with the poor in the developing world.

Currently, five major NGOs receive support multi-annual programme support from the Government, which amounted in total to over €70m last year. These are Concern, Trócaire, Goal, Christian Aid and Self Help Africa. The funding supports the NGOs' work in livelihood and food security, rural economic development, health, education, gender equality and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Irish Aid Civil Society Fund is open to all Irish-based Non-Governmental Organisations and is designed to provide resources for the development activities of civil society organisations. In 2008, over €40m was allocated to NGOs under the Fund. Multi-annual block grant funding arrangements have been in place for a number of years with Oxfam, Action Aid Ireland, World Vision Ireland and the Irish Fairtrade Network. During 2008, new block grant funding agreements were reached with seventeen other NGOs. These agreements will involve the provision of some €36 million in funding over three years to support the development programmes of the NGOs. The participating agencies include AidLink, Christian Blind Mission, Children in Crossfire, Frontline, Plan Ireland, Progressio Ireland, SightSavers International, War on Want Northern Ireland, Vita and VSO Ireland.

In total, Irish Aid's Civil Society Fund, Micro-Project Scheme, Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Fund and Emergency Preparedness and Post-Emergency Recovery Fund provide funding to over 200 organisations. The Government also provides funding to Misean Cara to support the work of Irish missionaries and their partners worldwide. Misean Cara received €20m from Irish Aid in 2008.

Our partnership with NGOs goes beyond funding arrangements and involves a continuous policy dialogue across a range of areas. The strength of the Irish NGO sector reflects the continuing commitment of the Irish people to the alleviation of poverty and hunger among the poorest people in the world. I believe it is essential that the Government and the NGOs continue to work in partnership to ensure the effectiveness of Ireland's overall contribution to the developing world and to highlight development issues publicly.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 744: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the percentage of the overseas development aid budget spent on staffing costs annually. [1569/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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For 2008 Ireland allocated €899 million to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). This comprises €769 million allocated to Vote 29, International Co-operation, and a further €130 million allocated to other Government Departments and Ireland's contribution to the EU Development Co-operation Budget. Total expenditure on staffing costs for 2008 is €18.6 million. This represents 2% of total ODA or 2.4% of the allocation to Vote 29. The figures for the years 2005 to 2007 are as follows:

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 745: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount that has been spent on foreign aid schemes and overseas development aid every year since 2000; and the amount that has been budgeted for this for every year until 2013. [1570/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Most of Ireland's expenditure on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is provided under Vote 29, International Co-operation. The programme is administered by the Development Co-operation Directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, also known as Irish Aid. Further contributions to ODA are made by other Government Departments and through Ireland's allocation to the EU Development Co-operation Budget.

The figures requested by the Deputy for the years 2000-2008 together with the provisional outturn for 2008 are set out in tabular form as follows:

For 2009 the Government has allocated €891 million to ODA, though as with all expenditure this is subject to review. As regards 2010, all public expenditure allocations for next year and for the succeeding years are subject to decisions taken in the context of the annual budgetary process. These allocations will form part of the annual budgets to be presented by the Minister for Finance to the House for these years.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 746: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the different types of projects undertaken under overseas development aid. [1571/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The overarching objective of the Government's official aid programme is to make an effective contribution to the fight against global poverty and hunger. It is important that all of our development policies and project activities are measured against their contribution to the reduction of poverty and towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Through Irish Aid, the Government currently provides assistance to over ninety countries in the developing world, with a strong focus on the least developed countries in Africa. Of these, nine have been designated as Programme Countries, with a commitment to long term strategic assistance. They are Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Vietnam and Timor Leste. The Government has identified four cross-cutting priorities for Irish Aid's programmes and project activities: the environment, gender, good governance and HIV and AIDS. In response to the report of the Government's Hunger Task Force, particular priority will be given to the fight against hunger and food insecurity, which must be a cornerstone of the overall aid programme.

Ireland's overseas development assistance focuses on the provision of basic social services for the poorest people in the developing world as well as on vital humanitarian relief and response to emergencies. Support is provided through a wide range of partners, including Governments, non-governmental organisations, and UN and other multilateral development agencies.

Detailed information on projects supported by Irish Aid and on the impact of the funding is set out in the Irish Aid Annual Report. It is worth citing a number of examples. We are working with the Government of Uganda to improve access to primary and secondary education. For instance, Irish Aid is supporting the expansion of eleven secondary schools and two teacher training colleges in Karamoja, Uganda's poorest and most deprived region. So far, over 600 children, two-thirds of them girls, have also benefited from bursaries to enable them to attend secondary school. In Mozambique and Lesotho, Irish Aid is working in partnership with the Clinton Foundation and the Ministries of Health to provide access to anti-retroviral treatment for HIV and AIDS and to support prevention and counselling initiatives. In Zambia, Irish Aid is supporting non-governmental organisations working with vulnerable children, helping them to access health services, continue their schooling and undertake vocational training.

I am confident that Ireland's assistance is making a tangible difference to the lives of the poorest people in the developing world. For instance, in Lesotho, where Ireland is the largest donor, there has been a 32% reduction in the mortality rate of children under five since 1990. Irish Aid support in Uganda has contributed to an increase in primary school enrolment from 2.4 million in 1997 to 7 million in 2008. In Tanzania, a clean water programme supported by Irish Aid resulted in the eradication of cases of cholera in Dar es Salaam in 2007. These examples underline the effectiveness of the aid programme and the importance of maintaining our commitment to working in partnership with the people and Governments of the developing world.