Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the annual cost of printing reports by his Department and agencies under the control of his Department; the corresponding figure for annual reports; the cost of posting these reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2542/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the annual cost of printing reports has significantly reduced in recent years as, in many instances, reports are no longer published in hard copy but, instead, are placed on the Department's website. This is the case with our Department's Annual Report. In cases where we are required to publish hard copies of reports, the number of copies printed is significantly less than was the case in earlier years, because of website access to the report. In 2008, my Department incurred printing costs of €7,703 in respect of its Statement of Strategy 2008-2010.

Irish Aid, which is funded by one of my Department's Votes, produces a significant number of reports. The total cost incurred in 2008 was €86,511 in 2008. These reports are primarily concerned with the evaluation and audit of expenditure and help ensure a high level of transparency in the funding and management of Irish Aid projects. Irish Aid reports are distributed through the Irish Aid web site and public offices, such as the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre and Embassies abroad. The individual reports are listed as follows:

Irish Aid Annual Report (2,000 copies) — €14,064;

Irish Aid Hunger Task Force (3,700 copies) — €34,750;

Report of the Audit Committee 2006 — €6,885;

South Africa Country Programme Evaluation 2004-2006 — €9,825;

Support to Tsunami Affected Countries — €11,313;

Evaluation of the Mozambique Country Programmes 2001-2006 — €9,674.

In addition, the Advisory Board for Irish Aid (ABIA) spent €46,774 on printing reports in 2008. The four publications in question were: "Measuring Impact: the global and Irish Aid programme perspective"; "Good Governance, Aid modalities and Poverty Reduction"; "Research Findings Volume 1: Governance, Trade & Aid Effectiveness"; and, "ABIA 2007 Annual Report".

The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Secretariat in Armagh jointly produces an annual report with their Northern counterparts. My Department's share of the printing costs in 2008 for the NSMC annual report was €5,678. As a result of posting reports on the internet, postage costs in respect of these reports have been very limited. Standard post is used where a hard copy of a report is requested by a member of the public. It is not possible to isolate the postage cost for this type of distribution.