asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in relation to the Agency for Personal Service Overseas, which is wholly Exchequer financed, (1) the amount of State finance received by it in 1978 and that proposed for 1979, (2) if he is fully answerable to the Dáil for all its activities or, if not, the manner in which the agency itself is answerable to the Dáil, (3) if it is obliged to publish an annual report and, if so, if this is laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas and, if not, why (4) if the same controls apply to the appointment of additional staff as apply within the Department itself and, if not, why, (5) the authority for its establishment, and (6) if he is satisfied that there is adequate opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny and control of its activities.
Written Answers. - Agency for Personal Service Overseas.
The following is the information requested:
(1) APSO received a grant-in-aid of £450,000 in 1978; this year the proposed grant-in-aid is £600,000;
(2) The activities of APSO are governed by the memorandum and articles of association of the agency, and by the terms and conditions of its grant-in-aid. These set out the relationship of APSO to me and to my Department, for which I am answerable to the Dáil;
(3) APSO is obliged to publish an annual report. Copies of all its reports to date have been placed in the Oireachtas Library;
(4) No. My Department has delegated responsibility to APSO for the number of staff employed by it, subject to periodic review by the Department;
(5) APSO came into being following a Government decision to establish an agency to promote personal service in developing countries by Irish people. It is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital;
(6) Yes.