Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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317. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if long term observers sent by his Department are paid remuneration; if so, the levels at which; if selection for such assignments is subject to confirmation that the observer is currently tax compliant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22149/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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318. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount spent on sending election observers abroad in each of the past three years and to date in 2017; the categories of election observers and others that are entitled to the payment of the unvouched observer grant of €600; if the payment of this grant is subject to confirmation that the beneficiary is currently tax compliant; if there are circumstances in which this grant is repayable; if so, the details of same; the items the grant covers; when and the way in which the amount was determined at the current level; his plans to expand payment of this grant to professional election observers not connected with the 2013 roster that volunteer their expertise abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22150/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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319. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to concerns that approximately a third of the 2013 election roster members have not responded to calls to observe elections; if his Department has conducted research into the reasons for such non participation; if so, the reasons identified; if there is a process to replace such persons with new election observers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22151/17]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 to 319, inclusive, 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 individuals who are available to participate in election observation missions organised in the main by the OSCE and the EU.

Members of the roster who are nominated as long or short term election observers by the Department do not receive remuneration. They are paid a daily allowance, determined by the EU and the OSCE, based on local cost of living, to cover the cost of food, accommodation and expenses. The Department does not seek tax clearance certification from observers prior to participation in a mission.

The table below sets out the costs of deploying election observers, together with the numbers and categories of observers and elections observed, for the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and to date 2017.

The grant of €600 is paid once in a 12-month period, to cover pre-departure expenses including vaccinations and transport costs ahead of travel to the country in question. The election observation roster is the only means through which the Department provides a structure to support Irish election observers. A number of independent NGOs also send monitors to observe elections throughout the world and the Department is aware of a number of Irish nationals who have deployed on such missions. These individuals can, of course, avail of consular advice and assistance, but are not eligible for the pre-departure grant, which is only paid to observers who have succeeded in being selected for the election roster.

In relation to the level of response from roster members to calls to observe elections, the situation is that 133 members of the current roster have taken part in missions since 2013. 61 members have not yet done so. A significant factor in this is that the number of applicants for election missions is always higher than the number of available places. I understand that some 29 members of the current roster have yet to apply to participate in a mission, which represents under 15% of the membership. As has been the practice to date, all roster members will be invited to apply to participate in any mission to which Ireland proposes to deploy observers, with a view to ensuring the widest possible participation in election missions by roster members. It is envisaged that the current roster will operate until May 2018.