Written answers
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Election Monitoring Missions
Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 60 of 22 March 2012, if this review of the working of the election roster has been completed; the outcomes of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50037/12]
Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the individual cost of each trip taken by persons as part of Ireland's international election monitoring since the beginning of 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50038/12]
Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together.
International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of observers for election monitoring missions. We aim to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level in international observation missions for both elections and constitutional referendums. Irish observers participate primarily in missions organised by the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but have also been involved in missions organised by the Council of Europe, the United Nations and the Carter Centre. So far in 2012, 57 Irish observers have been involved in missions organised by both the EU and OSCE, across 11 countries.
Observers who participate in missions supported by the Department are entitled to one pre-departure grant of €600 in every twelve month period to cover any costs incurred in preparing for the trip, including vaccinations and other medical expenses. For EU led missions, any additional costs are covered by the European Commission.Observer costs for OSCE-led Missions are met by the participating countries. In Ireland’s case, these funds come from the Irish Aid budget.
The election observation programme is subject to continuous monitoring to ensure it is efficient and effective and provides the best possible value for money. A list in tabular form of the costs for each Irish election observer funded by Irish Aid from January 1st 2012 to date is set out below. For obvious reasons, the costs associated with long-term observers (LTO) are higher than those for short-term observers (STO).
There are currently some 300 people on the Election Observation Roster. At present, the roster is not open for new members but I am aware that there are quite a number of individuals interested in joining the roster.I am keen to ensure that members of the roster will have the specific skills requested by the OSCE and the EU, including language skills. As previously stated, I have asked officials to carry out a detailed review of the roster and how it works, and to prepare proposals on future membership. I hope that the review will be completed in the near future.
Election Observation Missions 2012 to date
(57 observers on 11 missions)
COUNTRYORGANISATIONROLENAME COST€
January
KazakhstanOSCESTOPatricia Barker 3,643
KazakhstanOSCESTOPaddy Buckenham 3,193
KazakhstanOSCESTOPaul Cosgrave 3,643
KazakhstanOSCESTOMichael Humphreys 3,643
KazakhstanOSCESTOCecilia Keaveney 3,643
February
SenegalEULTODiarmuid Peavoy 0
SenegalEUSTOAidan O’Shea 0
March
RussiaOSCELTOMichael Verling17,029
RussiaOSCESTOGrattan Lynch 4,301
RussiaOSCESTOJulian Clare 3,756
RussiaOSCESTONoreen Kerins 4,301
RussiaOSCESTOChris Andrews 4,301
May
ArmeniaOSCELTOSean O’Callaghan 6,967
ArmeniaOSCESTOAnn Ormonde 3,304
ArmeniaOSCESTOBlaise Treacy 3,304
ArmeniaOSCESTOEdward Horgan 3,304
ArmeniaOSCESTOJames McNamara 3,304
ArmeniaOSCESTOTerence Fleming 3,304
ArmeniaOSCESTOBrian Fagan 3,304
ArmeniaOSCESTOEimear Friel 2,717
Serbia IOSCELTOOrla Cluff 6,827
Serbia IIOSCELTOPeter McMahon 3,685
AlgeriaEULTODorcha Lee 600
AlgeriaEUSTOMary Boland 0
AlgeriaEUSTOPeter Ballagh 0
July
Timor LesteEULTOMary O’Shea 0
September
BelarusOSCELTOPeter Donovan8,086
BelarusOSCESTONoel Brennan 2,775
BelarusOSCESTOJulian Clare 2,230
BelarusOSCESTOPatrick Finneran 2,775
BelarusOSCESTOFinbar O’Sullivan 2,541
BelarusOSCESTODeirdre Grogan 2,857
BelarusOSCESTOMark Long 2,857
BelarusOSCESTORebecca Moynihan 2,775
BelarusOSCESTOAnne Choiseul 2,775
October
GeorgiaOSCELTOEithne MacDermott 6,730
GeorgiaOSCESTOCecilia Keaveney 3,546
GeorgiaOSCESTOEileen McCabe 4,146
GeorgiaOSCESTOJohn O’Connor 4,122
GeorgiaOSCESTOPeter Emerson 4,146
GeorgiaOSCESTOConor O’Clery 4,122
GeorgiaOSCESTOJames Mallon 4,122
GeorgiaOSCESTOLes Allamby 4,122
GeorgiaOSCESTORichard McEvoy 4,122
UkraineOSCELTOSeamus Martin11,473
UkraineOSCELTOMichael Verling10,746
UkraineOSCESTOEric Byrne 3,258
UkraineOSCESTOGeraldine Power 3,425
UkraineOSCESTORaymond Dunne 3,425
UkraineOSCESTOCiaran Kinsella 3,425
UkraineOSCESTOFionnuala Brennan 3,425
UkraineOSCESTOKevin Grogan 3,425
UkraineOSCESTOJulian Clare 2,825
UkraineOSCESTOThomas Bellew 2,827
November
Sierra LeoneEULTOColm Fahy600
Sierra LeoneEUSTOMichael Coyne600
Sierra LeoneEUSTOMichael Boyle600
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