Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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280. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23888/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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281. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23906/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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282. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23924/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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284. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23960/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 280, 281, 282 and 284 together.

My Department expects the highest standards of governance and accountability from organisations in receipt of grants, in line with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform requirements for organisations in receipt of Exchequer funding. It reserves the right to reduce grants, stop transfers prematurely or withhold future payments if contractual obligations are not met, if it emerges that the funds are not being used or have not been used for the purposes for which they have been made available or where instances of fraud or corrupt practices are suspected or have been found to have occurred.

The Evaluation and Audit Unit (EAU) is an independent unit within the Department’s corporate governance structure, reporting to the Secretary General. The Unit’s role is to support, protect and enhance the delivery of the Department’s mission by providing objective assessment, assurance, advice and insight regarding corporate performance, governance, risk management and internal controls. The work of the EAU is reviewed by the Audit Committee of the Department, which provides an independent appraisal of the audit and evaluation function including overseeing progress made in implementing the recommendations arising from audits and evaluations.

My Department has developed a digital grants management system and continues to roll it out this year. The goal is to strengthen and optimise our grant management processes and improve the flow of information and data across the Department. The effect of this includes better decision making, improved risk management, a strengthened capacity to capture, monitor, track and report results, and ultimately a stronger overall control environment.