James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 341: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the persons or bodies in receipt of subventions or grants from his Department; the amount paid to each recipient in the year such payments commenced; the amount paid to each recipient in the current year; to place in the Oireachtas Library the latest two sets of accounts for these payments furnished by such persons or bodies to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39680/10]

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 Irish Aid programme, Ireland's programme of official development assistance; the Emigrant Support Programme; the Reconciliation Fund for North-South and Anglo-Irish Co-operation; the Anti-Sectarianism Fund; the Communicating Europe Initiative; the Cultural Programme; and the Asia Strategy. In addition to this there are a number of grants which are given to specific projects, programmes or organisations such as the Atlantic Corridor Project; the Irish College in Paris; the Fulbright Commission; the European Movement Ireland, Title V of the Treaty on European Union Grants,and the Documents in Irish Foreign Policy Project.

Appropriate financial procedures and regulations are followed in relation to all funding provided by my Department, including, where appropriate, the requesting of certified or audited annual accounts and tax clearance certificates. Many of the schemes are aimed at civil society organisations, most of whom are not required to publish annual accounts. In cases where the provision of the grant or subvention is on a statutory basis and requires the placement of the accounts in the library of the Oireachtas, this is done.

In some instances it has not been possible, in the time available, to provide the detail requested relating to funding in the year payments commenced. Details can be provided to the Deputy at a later stage if required.

Irish Aid

The Government is providing a total of €671m for Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2010. Of this, €536m is administered by my Department, which manages the Government's development cooperation 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 partner governments, UN Agencies and other Multilateral and International Organisations, development Non-Governmental and Missionaries Organisations, and other civil society groups.

Funding is provided through various aid modalities and funding schemes managed by the aid programme. The clear focus of the programme, and funding allocation, 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 basic education. Approximately 95% of the overall funding allocated to Vote 29 in 2010 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 2010, are summarised as follows.

Detailed information on expenditure, including organisations and projects funded, under Vote 29 and Ireland's total Overseas Development Programme is provided annually in the Irish Aid Annual Report http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/publications_report , which is placed in the Library.

Emigrant Support Programme

Following the 2002 report of the Task Force on policy regarding emigrants, the Government decided that the Department of Foreign Affairs would have lead responsibility for support services to emigrants and Irish communities abroad. My Department's Emigrant Support Programme (ESP) provides grant funding to Irish community organisations abroad, and in particular to organisations which support vulnerable members of those communities. The Irish Abroad Unit, established in my Department in 2004, has responsibility for making recommendations on funding.

In 2004, the first financial year for which my Department had lead responsibility for emigrant services grants, a total of €5,047,038 was provided to organisations giving assistance to Irish community groups abroad and those working with Irish emigrants. A list of these grants is included below. To date in 2010 grants totalling €10,405,866 have been provided through the ESP. The table below summarises the regions and organisations to which the funds have been paid to date this year.

All funding awarded under the ESP is approved for specific purposes, based on the applications received. The application process requires organisations to complete an on-line application form which includes the submission of their most recent accounting statements. In addition, organisations are required to submit by an agreed date a progress report, including financial details, on the project undertaken, and detailing how the project has contributed towards the achievement of the aims of the Emigrant Support Programme.

Reconciliation Fund & Anti-Sectarianism Fund

My Department funds cross community and cross border projects through its Reconciliation and Anti Sectarianism Funds. The Reconciliation Fund was established in 1982 and the Anti Sectarianism Fund was launched in 2008. The purpose of these Funds is to assist organisations involved in reconciliation work and efforts to create better understanding between people on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain, and to assist local initiatives aimed at tackling sectarianism. Up to €3 million has been allocated for both Funds in 2010. To date, €1.92 million has been awarded to 77 organisations, details of which are included below. A further round of funding will be announced shortly. All awards are published via press release on my Department's website (www.dfa.ie ). The Funds receive applications from a variety of different organisations and successful applicants vary from year to year.

Each grant recipient must provide my Department with a written, detailed report of the project undertaken. All recipients of grant aid in excess of €12,500 must provide audited accounts on completion of the project. A Tax Clearance Certificate is required for grants in excess of €10,000. In addition to these procedures, officials from my Department regularly visit projects to assess suitably for funding.

Promoting Ireland Abroad Grants

Under the Cultural grant-in-aid funding of my Department, which is administered by the Promoting Ireland Abroad Division, support is provided in the form of annual grants to two bodies, the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange (known as the Fulbright Commission) and the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, as well as for cultural activity by the Embassy network. The Fulbright Commission supports study, research, teaching and other educational activities between Ireland and the United States and the programme in Ireland was established in 1957. It was originally funded with £500,000, drawn from the original American Grant Counterpart Account of £6,000,000 given to Ireland, pursuant to the Economic Cooperation Agreement of 1948. In 2010, funding of €254,000 has been provided by my Department.

The funding is used to support scholarships to Irish citizens to study and research in the United States and for US citizens to study and research in Ireland. In accordance with the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, a copy of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and of the audited accounts of the Fulbright Commission are lodged annually with both Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Centre Culturel Irlandais (Irish Cultural Centre) in the Irish College in Paris promotes cultural and educational exchange between France and Ireland. The college dates from the 16th century and, following a major refurbishment in 2001-2002 the Centre Culturel Irlandais was formally inaugurated in October 2002. A grant of €130,000 was provided by my Department in 2003 and the centre has received a grant of €150,000 in 2010. The funding is used to support the Centre's cultural programme.

In 2010, a further €450,000 has been allocated to cultural initiatives undertaken by the Embassy and Consular network. Missions are provided with dedicated allocations to allow them plan and implement small-scale cultural activities. This figure also includes some support to Irish Studies at universities overseas.

Through Promoting Ireland Abroad Division,funding is also provided to the Atlantic Corridor project. The Atlantic Corridor was founded to facilitate, through its network of transatlantic and cross border activities and international linkages, the development of projects that will assist in supporting sustainable economic development and enhanced educational attainment. Atlantic Corridor has built and maintained relationships with key partners in the US, Canada and Northern Ireland. Funding of €254,000 was first provided in 2001, and funding of €250,000 has been provided in 2010.

The aim of the Asia Strategy is to establish a formal context in which the public and private sectors can work together to realise the benefits of political and economic linkages with Asian countries. In 2010, €200,000 has been allocated to the Asia Strategy activities undertaken by my Department. Activities funded included the Shanghai Internship Programme; promotion programmes organised in sectors such as science and technology, tourism and education, and inward media visits. These activities are administered by Irish Embassies in the region.

Communicating Europe

The Communicating Europe Initiative 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 2010, my Department has approved funding of €238,900 in respect of 50 projects. A list of the groups funded in 2010 is included below.

The European Movement Ireland

The European Movement Ireland, established in 1954, promotes public discussion and debate about developments in the European Union. It does this through a range of information initiatives including public conferences, seminars and briefing sessions and the publication and dissemination of information materials. In 2010, funding of €234,000 has been paid to the European Movement Ireland by my Department.

Title V of the Treaty on European Union Grants

Established in 2002, the purpose of this Subhead is to support actions consequent on Title V of the Treaty on the European Union. Title V established the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Expenditure under this Subhead has included mandatory contributions arising from our membership of the EU to the EU Satellite Centre and the EU Institute for Security Studies. Discretionary funding which promotes Ireland's CFSP priorities and the values which underpin Irish foreign policy is also disbursed from this Subhead. A list of grants made to date in 2010 under this funding scheme is included below. Funding for the recipients this year began between 2004 and 2009 and totals for the start year of funding for each organisation are given below. It should be noted that that not all of these organisations have received funding in each of the intervening years.

The reporting regime under this Subhead varies, according to the type of organisation being funded. Grants to international and regional organisations are always reflected in those organisations' annual accounts which are sent to my Department; other partner organisations provide appropriate reporting on expenditure and publicise the grant in official literature. In all cases, organisations are required to acknowledge receipt of funds and are monitored by my Department to ensure the grant is utilised appropriately and for the purposes outlined in the project proposal.

Documents in Irish Foreign Policy Project

The Documents in Irish Foreign Policy (DIFP) series is a multi-volume series of documents on Irish foreign policy which my Department undertakes in association with the Royal Irish Academy and the National Archives. The project was established in 1996, after being recommended in the 1996 White Paper on Foreign Policy. The 2010 allocation from my Department for the DIFP project is €175,000. The project operates under a Memorandum of Understanding which includes a provision that a copy of the audited accounts are provided to my Department in advance of payment being made. The accounts of the DIFP project, in common with all monies under the control of the RIA, are audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Details of the aforementioned grants schemes are listed in the tables below.

Anti-Sectarianism Fund Awards 2010 (to date)

Reconciliation Fund Awards 2010 (to date)

Emigrant Support Programme – total grants 2004 (start year)

Emigrant Support Programme – total grants as at Oct 28 2010