Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 47: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the Farrell Grant Sparks report on the level of oversight regarding spending in his Department, in particular on Irish Aid. [31909/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As recommended in the 2006 Government White Paper on Irish Aid, an independent Management Review of Irish Aid was carried out by consultants Farrell Grant Sparks. The Management Review of Irish Aid examined the governance, management and capacity requirements needed to ensure quality and accountability in an overseas aid programme including in the context of the decentralisation of the Irish Aid programme from Dublin to Limerick. The Review was overseen by a Steering Committee composed of senior officials representing the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Finance. The Review was the most comprehensive examination to date of the Government's overseas aid programme structures and systems.

The report emphasises that the Government's overseas aid programme is an integral part of foreign policy and, as such, that the aid programme is an integral part of the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Government has approved the Report's recommendations regarding enhanced governance arrangements aimed at ensuring a more effective integration of the programme within the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The report recommends inter alia the creation of a small new, expert body made up of national and international expertise, to advise the Government on the aid programme. This body would report on an annual basis to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State for Overseas Development.

With specific regard to oversight within the overseas aid programme, the report concluded that there is a rigorous process of internal checks and controls at field level and at headquarters level operated primarily through the Management Information Framework (MIF) and through the financial and internal audit systems. In the last year a number of new specialists have been employed to further enhance monitoring and evaluation capacity. Earlier this year, the Irish Aid programme was the subject of a comprehensive Peer Review process under the auspices of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD. The Programme was endorsed strongly for its quality and effectiveness. The Review Team acknowledged the focus on accountability and oversight within the Programme. I have arranged for a copy of the report of the Management Review to be forwarded to the Dáil Library and for it to be published on the websites of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aid.