Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1204: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of money spent on Overseas Development Aid in each of the years between 2005 and 2010 in tabular form in terms of money spent and percentage of GNP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32041/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1205: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide a breakdown of which countries have received Overseas Development Aid from Ireland since 2005, the amount each country has received each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32042/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1204 and 1205 together.

Most of Ireland's expenditure on Official Development Assistance (ODA) is provided under Vote 29, International Cooperation. The programme is administered by the Development Cooperation Division 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 Cooperation budget.

Details of the amounts spent on ODA are as follows:

Through Irish Aid, the Government provides assistance to in excess of 80 countries in the developing world, with a strong focus on the least developed countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. Irish Aid operates directly in nine countries which have been designated as Programme Countries, with a commitment to long term strategic assistance, namely Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi (since 2008), Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Timor Leste. Details of funding provided directly to Programme Countries for the years 2005 to 2009 are as follows:

Additional Irish Aid funding is indirectly implemented in both Programmes Countries and other developing countries, delivered by Irish and International Non Governmental Organisations, Irish Missionaries, and through the multilateral and UN systems. Full details of all countries receiving funds from Irish Aid and its partners are contained in the Irish Aid Annual Reports which can be accessed at http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/publications_report.asp and which have been placed in the Dáil Library.

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1206: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the precautions in place to ensure that money provided by Ireland for Overseas Development Aid reaches the people and projects for which it is intended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32043/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister of State with responsibility for our overseas aid budget, I am very conscious of the need to ensure that development aid reaches its intended beneficiaries and that it makes a real difference in the lives of the poor. I can assure the Deputy that Irish Aid has in place a comprehensive programme of appraisal, monitoring, audit, and evaluation of our expenditures designed to ensure that funds are spent effectively and benefit the most vulnerable people of the countries in which we and our partners operate. Irish Aid expenditure is subject to rigorous accounting, evaluation and audit controls. Programmes are regularly audited and evaluated by independent audit firms and by Irish Aid's own Evaluation and Audit Unit. The Unit's work is also examined by my Department's independent Audit Committee. Development expenditures are furthermore examined by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General as part of the annual audit of the Department of Foreign Affairs. As well as ensuring that Ireland's development funding reaches those most in need, such arrangements necessitate the improvement of national systems of accounting and auditing in the countries in which we operate, thereby building local capacity to deliver basic services effectively and transparently. Irish Aid supports programmes for the improvement of national accounting systems and training of national offices of auditors general. We also continuously monitor programme and project quality in order to ensure effective results and that our programmes are reaching their target populations. This emphasis on effectiveness and quality has been recognised internationally, including by the OECD in its latest evaluation of our aid programme which stated that "the structure of Irish Aid's programme ensures that the capacity and policy benefits of programme aid are achieved whilst improvements in the quality and accountability of public financial management together with rigorous oversight ensure that Irish funds are correctly used." Project proposals which are submitted are appraised using a number of key criteria, including quality of proposed impact, intended beneficiaries, sustainability, cost effectiveness and efficiency in the use of resources. Where funds are provided to organisations such as NGOs it is a fundamental condition of such funding that annual audited accounts are provided to us.

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1207: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of money provided in emergency aid in each year between 2005 and 2010; if this is part of our commitment of GNP commitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32044/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Each year Ireland provides assistance to people affected by humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters in developing countries. In the period referred to by the Deputy the following funding was provided under the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Fund (EHAF) managed as part of the Irish Aid programme of official development assistance (ODA):

2005: €37,500,000;

2006: €60,000,000;

2007: €90,000,000;

2008: €87,000,000;

2009: €56,000,000;

2010: €44,762,232 (to date).

Funding provided from EHAF is delivered to organisations which respond directly to the humanitarian needs of those caught up in disasters or conflict situations, such as United Nations agencies, the International Red Cross movement and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). In 2010, Ireland has responded to a number of significant humanitarian challenges including the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in January and the recent flooding in Pakistan. Ireland also responds to emergencies through providing pre-positioned humanitarian supplies and key personnel with specific emergency related skills through the Rapid Response Initiative.

In addition to emergency humanitarian assistance, Ireland also contributes to the efforts of people in the affected areas to rebuild their lives following these humanitarian emergencies. Effective recovery strategies are designed to ensure that the affected areas have greater capacity to withstand future natural disasters. All of Ireland's emergency aid falls within that proportion of our GNP which is allocated for development assistance and all of the specific projects and programmes and costs are outlined in the Irish Aid Annual Reports for each year which have been placed in the Dáil Library.