Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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21.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of the way in-country refugee costs are used in the calculation of official development assistance expenditure; the projected expenditure from in-country refugee costs that will go to official development assistance in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[33991/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Under the rules of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, some of the costs of support for refugees within donor countries can be included in Official Development Assistance (ODA) reporting. It was agreed in the Committee, of which Ireland is a member, that assistance to refugees may be considered humanitarian in nature and is provided with the aim of ensuring the dignity and human rights of beneficiary populations. This approach aligns with Ireland’s priority in international development that humanitarian response is provided wherever it is needed.

To ensure that the focus remains on humanitarian response, costs are only eligible to count as ODA for the first twelve months of a refugee's stay. They may include direct expenses for temporary sustenance, such as food, shelter, and training, as well as basic health care and psychosocial support for persons with specific needs.

Because of these limitations, only a portion of each relevant Department’s support for refugees in Ireland is eligible to be counted as part of Ireland’s ODA.

Since the start of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine in 2022, Ireland has provided refuge for over 105,000 Ukrainian people. As Ukraine is an ODA-eligible middle-income country, support to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in their first twelve months is eligible to count as ODA. These costs have been included within Ireland's total ODA for 2022 and 2023, and will be again in 2024. They have been disaggregated in the Irish Aid Annual Report for transparency purposes.

ODA-eligible elements of each Department’s expenditures on refugee support are calculated and reported as ODA retrospectively. Funding for these costs comes from a number of different departments, and does not come from the budget allocated for Department of Foreign Affairs for international development cooperation. It is not possible to state at this stage what the projected costs will be for 2025.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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22.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of the way in-country student costs are used in the calculation of official development assistance expenditure; the projected expenditure from in-country student costs that will go to official development assistance in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[33992/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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While most Official Development Assistance (ODA) expenditure is focused on developing countries, there are elements of expenditure in the donor country which are eligible to be counted as ODA. These include scholarships and student costs, development awareness programmes, in-donor refugee costs and administrative costs. The Ireland Fellows Programme managed by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs falls within this definition.

The Programme offers early to mid-career professionals from 79 developing countries the opportunity to undertake a fully funded one-year master’s level programme at Higher Education Institutions in Ireland. The Programme aims to nurture future leaders; to develop capacity to achieve national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and to build positive relationships with Ireland. It is designed to support graduates on their return home, through the skills they develop, to contribute to capacity building nationally. It is also envisaged that they will contribute to building enduring positive personal and professional relationships with Ireland, promoting institutional linkages.

The award covers programme fees, flights, accommodation, and living costs. It is administered by the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) in Ireland, on behalf of the Department.

All expenditure under the Programme is included in the calculation of Ireland’s ODA expenditure, including expenditure in Ireland. Total expenditure in 2023 was €9.1 million, with €9m of this provided to ICOS to cover programme fees, flights, accommodation and living costs for 206 Fellows enrolled in 17 Higher Education Institutions, as well as ICOS management fees and costs. The budget for the Programme in 2024 is €9.28 million. The 2025 allocation will be determined when the 2025 budget has been compiled and approved.