asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in respect of the overseas development assistance division of his Department, (a) the number of executive staff (i) sanctioned and (ii) employed in each year to date; (b) the main areas of responsibility of the division; and (c) if the work of the division has expanded since its establishment; and, if so, in what respects.
Written Answers. - Overseas Development Assistance Division.
144.
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(a) Staff
The Overseas Development Assistance Section was established in 1974. Previously the work of the section was dealt with by the Economic Division.
The number of executive staff (Higher Executive Officer grade and higher) sanctioned and employed in the section from 1974 to 1976 was
2 Counsellors
2 First Secretaries
1 Third Secretary
2 Higher Executive Officers
The staffing of the Section was strengthened in 1977 by the creation of new posts of
1 First Secretary and
1 Higher Executive Officer
In 1978, a subsection of the Economic Division dealing with Community trade relations with developing countries was transferred to the section. This sub-section consists of the following staff
1 First Secretary
2 Third Secretaries
The section is under the responsibility of an Assistant Secretary who also has other sections under his control.
(b) Main Areas of Responsibility
(i) In the multilateral area, the main responsibility of the Section is Irish participation in the elaboration of the European Community's development co-operation policies. These policies are pursued either (i) by direct agreements between the Community and developing countries e.g. Convention of Lomé or (ii) in wider international fora such as the UN, UNCTAD, and so forth in the context of the "North-South Dialogue" between industrialised and developing countries.
(ii) Management of the Department's Bilateral Aid Programme, participation in the technical management of the aid programmes of the European Community, administration of the funds voted annually for disaster relief, the publicising of Irish development aid policy, and the mobilisation of Irish resources in response to, and in order to derive national benefit from, the aid programmes of international organisations. This latter responsibility includes the recruitment of Irish personnel for, and the training in this country of persons on behalf of, these organisations
(c) Expansion of Work
As regards the multilateral area the European Community's own programmes of development co-operation have expanded considerably since 1974. Negotiations on the Lomé Convention were concluded in early 1975 and it entered into force in April 1976. The convention which is now due for renegotiation is the most comprehensive agreement concluded in the field of development co-operation between industrialised and developing countries. Also in 1976 the Co-operation Agreements with certain Mediterranean countries were concluded and new programmes of aid for nonassociated developing countries and for co-operation with non-governmental organisations were established. The Community's food aid programmes have been increased and the process of harmonising member states' development policies has been intensified. Over the same period there has been a series of major international conferences dealing with economic co-operation and development in which the European Community has taken an increasingly active part, for example, Special Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly (April 1974 and September 1975), the Fourth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development—UNCTAD (May 1976) and the Conference on International Economic Co-operation (Paris. October 1975—June 1977). A further Special Session of the UN General Assembly to deal specifically with development matters will be held in 1980 and in preparation for this the UN Overview Committee has been established to monitor the entire range of negotiations which are under way in various fora. Community co-ordination in preparation for these multilateral negotiating sessions and meetings is becoming more and more intensive.
The work in the bilateral area has also increased very considerably. This is due in large part to the substantial anual growth of the Bilateral Aid Programme. This programme is planned, administered and executed by the Department and since 1974, when it was established, the amount available to the programme has been increased sixfold. Since 1975 the section has been responsible for participation in the technical management of the aid programmes of the Community which were established under the Lomé Convention. These programmes include the European Development Fund (EDF) Committee, which manages financial and technical assistance grants, and the Article 22 committee which manages loans, granted with interest rate subsidy, by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Likewise, when other Community agreements become operational in the technical assistance area, the section assumes responsibility for participation in their technical management. This is beginning to happen at the moment, for instance, in the case of the agreements between the Community and the Maghreb and Machrek countries.