Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 14: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on cutting back or rationalising embassy staff numbers in Irish Aid programme countries. [31761/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The total budget for Ireland's Official Development Assistance in 2009 will be €696 million, representing at least 0.48% of GNP. Of this, €571 million is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, through Irish Aid.

Our aid programme provides assistance to over ninety developing countries, nine of which have been designated as Programme Countries, where we have a commitment to long term strategic assistance. These are Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Vietnam and Timor Leste.

The aid programmes in eight of the Programme Countries are managed by Embassies. The programme in Timor Leste is managed by a representative office, and there is also an aid office in Sierra Leone. Funding for direct programme budgets for the nine Programme Countries will amount this year to €198 million, with a further €23.4 million for significant programmes in other developing countries, including Sierra Leone.

In general, our offices in Programme Countries are staffed by one or two Irish diplomats, working with a maximum of three specialist technical staff from Ireland. In addition a small number of locally-recruited staff assist with office administration. Additional technical support is provided by contracted temporary staff, as required.

The administration costs of Ireland's aid programme are low by international standards, and we are recognised as playing a leading international role in making aid more effective. Appropriate management structures in our Programme Countries are an essential element in ensuring that our aid delivers results, and value for money, in partnership with local Governments and communities in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Staff numbers are kept under close review, in line with the level of resources devoted to our development programmes. In addition, the independent Evaluation and Audit unit within Irish Aid regularly examines the operation of programmes with a view to identifying improvements in implementation and maintaining high standards of accountability.

In view of the Government's strong continuing commitment to our Programme Countries and the scale of the development programmes being managed by Ireland's missions in those countries, I believe that the staffing levels are appropriate in current circumstances.