Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 86: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the mechanisms in place to monitor the way Irish Government overseas aid is spent by the recipient governments and non-governmental organisations; the overseas aid expenditure by the Irish Government over the past five years; the terms and conditions applied to the granting of aid to respective governments and NGO's; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25674/11]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Government is strongly committed to Ireland's overseas aid programme, which is a central element in our foreign policy. The programme is recognised internationally for its strong focus on the fight against poverty and hunger, and its concentration on the poorest countries and communities of sub-Saharan Africa. The amounts provided for Ireland's Official Development Assistance (ODA) over the past five years are as follows:

These figures include the funds administered by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which manages the Government's aid programme, as well as contributions to international development by other Government Departments and Ireland's share of the EU development cooperation budget.

As Minister of State with responsibility for the development programme, 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 poorest people. We deliver our aid programme in cooperation with Governments, local communities, NGOs, and key multilateral partners including the UN and EU. Ireland will play a strong role, in cooperation with our partners, at the forthcoming international meeting on Aid Effectiveness, which I will attend in Busan, Korea in November. In reviewing the aid programme most recently, in 2009, the OECD noted that Ireland is an international leader in making aid more effective. I am determined that we will build on that reputation at Busan.

Irish Aid is strongly focused on development results, identifying specific objectives and results against which all programmes are assessed and evaluated. All development aid funding is disbursed in line with these specific objectives. Proposals are rigorously appraised by Irish Aid staff as well as by an independent external Programme Appraisal and Evaluation Group using a number of criteria, including quality of intended impact, sustainability, cost effectiveness and efficiency in the use of resources. Where funds are provided to Non-Governmental Organisations, it is a fundamental condition that annual audited accounts are provided to us.

Programmes in receipt of funding from Irish Aid are subject to regular internal and external monitoring to ensure that the intended objectives and goals are being accomplished. These arrangements ensure that Ireland's development funding reaches those most in need, and supports the improvement of national systems of accounting and auditing in the countries where we work.

Irish Aid programmes are evaluated and audited by independent experts as well as by Irish Aid's Evaluation and Audit Unit. The Unit's work is also reviewed by the independent Audit Committee of my Department. These evaluations and audits provide assurance that funds are used for the purposes intended and have a particular focus on poverty reduction outcomes and value for money.

The OECD has found 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."

While we are working in some of the most difficult environments in the world, I am satisfied that the assessment, monitoring, evaluation and audit systems which Irish Aid has put in place provide the best assurance that development aid funding is being used for the intended objectives.