Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 68: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to visit the Horn of Africa to assess the way in which Irish Aid funds are being put to use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27239/11]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The humanitarian situation across the Horn of Africa is worsening, with more than 13 million people affected by drought and food shortages.

The Government has been following and responding to the crisis for many months and has already allocated more than €10 million in emergency assistance. Our funding has been utilised by the UN, the Red Cross and NGOs such as Concern and Trócaire, to provide vital food supplies, shelter, basic health care and clean water to many thousands of people. In addition to financial help, Irish Aid has also carried out two airlifts of humanitarian supplies from its pre-positioned stockpiles in Dubai and has deployed 21 members of its highly skilled Rapid Response Corps to directly assist in humanitarian operations. We are making a real and tangible difference on the ground. Lives are being saved as a result.

The Government is committed to continuing its support for the Horn of Africa region and at the recent international summit on the crisis, convened by the United Nations in New York, the Tánaiste pledged a further €10 million in emergency assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable in the region before the end of 2012.

The Government is acutely conscious of the need to ensure that the emergency funding which we provide is used to save lives and target those most in need. For this reason, we work closely with our humanitarian partners, including the key UN agencies, the Red Cross and the major NGOs, in deciding on funding allocations and in designing and implementing their programmes. We also prioritise monitoring and evaluation as a means to ensure value for money in the use of public funds for the relief effort.

To date in 2011, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have carried out three field visits to the Horn of Africa, including to Somalia, the Dollo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia and the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. These visits have proven invaluable in allowing us to assess both the situation on the ground and the most effective means to provide assistance.

At this stage, neither the Tánaiste nor I have advanced plans to visit the Horn of Africa region. What is most important at this juncture is that we continue to respond as effectively as possible and we are continuing to keep in constant touch with our partners on the ground to ensure our assistance has maximum impact. I can, however, assure the Deputy that the Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and will assess the possible benefits of a Ministerial visit in light of developments in the region and our ongoing discussions with our humanitarian partners.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 70: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the preparations that he is making to ensure that Ireland makes a meaningful contribution to the upcoming high level summit meeting on aid effectiveness in Busan. [27322/11]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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One of the most important international meetings on development issues this year will be the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to be held in Busan, in the Republic of Korea, in November. The Forum will assess progress in implementing the commitments made under the 2005 Paris Declaration on making aid more effective. It will also focus on new global development challenges, such as climate change and fragile states, and on strengthening partnerships with emerging economies. I look forward to attending the Forum. We have held discussions on our preparations with members of the Oireachtas, and I look forward to further consultations with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. I am pleased that the Chair of the Joint Committee will join the official delegation in Busan. We are also consulting with the Irish development Non-Governmental Organisations on their priorities and plans for the meeting.

When I visited Malawi and Mozambique in June, I was struck by how important it is for all international aid donors to co-ordinate their programmes and to work more closely with Governments and communities in developing countries so that aid is delivered effectively and makes a sustainable contribution to the ending of extreme poverty and hunger. In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever to ensure that our development aid delivers value for money and achieves long term results.

Ireland will play a strong role at the Forum. Our development programme is already recognised internationally as a leader in making aid more effective. Officials from Irish Aid, in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, are engaging internationally with our partners in developing countries, the OECD, the EU and the UN on preparations for the discussions and the Outcome Document. Ireland's approach has been to work to strengthen the focus on poverty reduction and on development results, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected states. We are also ensuring that women and girls are prioritised in development plans. Other priorities for Ireland include strengthening the transparency and accountability of development spending, ensuring civil society can play their legitimate role as partners in poverty reduction and reducing the bureaucracy of managing aid.

I hope that the Forum in Busan will mark a decisive move in placing the effectiveness of aid at the heart of development policy and development programmes.