Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 410: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of grants that he issued in 2009 which will include all press statements issued on the occasion of the announcement of the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3298/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are a number of different schemes operating in my department which administer grant funding: the Reconciliation Fund for North-South and Anglo-Irish Co-operation; the Anti-Sectarianism Fund; the Emigrant Support Programme; the Communicating Europe Initiative; and the Irish Aid programme, Ireland's programme of official development assistance. In addition to this there are a number of grants which are given to specific programmes or organisations such as the Atlantic Corridor Project; the Irish College in Paris; the Fulbright Commission.

Reconciliation Fund for North-South & Anglo-Irish Co-operation & Anti-Sectarianism Fund

The purpose of the Reconciliation Fund for North-South and Anglo-Irish Co-operation is to assist organisations involved in reconciliation work and to support efforts to create better understanding between people on the island of Ireland, as well as between Ireland and Britain. In addition, an Anti-Sectarianism Fund was launched in February 2008, to assist local efforts aimed at tackling sectarianism. This Fund supports community based projects that focus on developing new and more effective ways of addressing sectarianism and division in society. The grant budget for 2009 was €3 million, covering both the Reconciliation Fund and the Anti-Sectarianism Fund, which was disbursed to 147 groups last year. Details of the grants announced in 2009, are set out below.

Emigrant Support Programme

Under the Emigrant Support Programme in 2009, grants totalling €14,885,680 were provided to Irish community organisations abroad and in particular to organisations which support vulnerable members of those communities. The table below summarises the regions and organisations to which the funds were allocated.

Promoting Ireland Abroad Grants

Under the Cultural budget of the Department funding is provided in the form of annual grants to two bodies under the aegis of the Department. The first of these is the Fulbright Commission which supports study, research, teaching and other educational activities between Ireland and the United States. The Fulbright Commission received funding of €254,000 for 2009. The second is the Irish Cultural Centre in the Irish College in Paris, which promotes cultural and educational exchange between France and Ireland, received a grant of €150,000 in 2009. A grant of €250,000 was given to the Atlantic Corridor Ireland in 2009. Atlantic Corridor Ireland facilitates the development of projects that will assist in supporting sustainable development and enhanced educational attainment, through its network activities and international linkages between economically deprived regions of Ireland, the United States and Northern Ireland.

Communicating Europe

The Communicating Europe Initiative (CEI) was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. A call for proposals issues on an annual basis. In March of this year the Minister approved funding of €292,372 for 42 projects. A list of the groups funded in 2009 is set out below. A press release did not issue on the occasion of the announcement of the grants.

Title V of the Treaty on European Union Grants

Title V of the Treaty on European Union constitutes the provisions on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union. Expenditure under this Subhead includes, mandatory contributions under the ESDP (the EU Satellite Centre and EU Institute for Security Studies), and (ii) discretionary funding of activities in support of Ireland's CFSP objectives. A list of grants made under this funding scheme is listed below.

Irish Aid

The Government provided a total of €696 million for Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2009. Of this, €571 million was administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, which manages the Government's development aid programme. Under Vote 29 (International Cooperation), Irish Aid, which is based in the Development Cooperation Division of the Department, provides funding to a wide range of partners, including developing country governments and local authorities, UN Agencies, development Non-Governmental Organisations, missionaries and other civil society groups. This funding is provided through the various funding schemes managed by the aid programme. The clear focus of the programme, and funding allocations, is the alleviation of poverty, with a particular concentration on meeting fundamental needs, including food security, access to safe water, primary health care and access to a basic education. Approximately 95% of the overall funding allocated to Vote 29 is managed through Grant or Grants in Aid funding schemes. The balance is allocated to meet the costs associated with the management, oversight and administration of the aid programme. The main funding schemes, together with overall allocations for 2009, are summarised as follows:

Detailed information on expenditure under Vote 29 and Ireland's total Overseas Development Programme is provided annually in the Irish Aid Annual Report. All press releases regarding the allocation of grants in 2009 are available via the Irish Aid website at http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/press_archive.asp

Details of all other grants schemes are listed in the following table.