Written Answers. - Government Programme.
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
137
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
the specific commitments, if any, set out in An Action Programme for the Millennium which have been implemented in full; the commitments, if any, implemented in part; the commitments, if any, initiated; the commitments, if any, yet to be initiated and implemented by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15043/98]
The Government's An Action Programme for the Millennium contains a number of commitments in the areas of Northern Ireland and international and European affairs for which my Department has responsibility.
In the area of Northern Ireland, the Government set itself the task of reviving the peace process through securing a restoration of the IRA ceasefire and the establishment of substantive negotiations towards a settlement, along with more general efforts to build a spirit of confidence and cooperation on all sides. This objective was successfully realised with the conclusion of the British-Irish Agreement on 10 April 1998.
The agreement was based on, inter alia, the Mitchell principles, the Downing Street Declaration, the Joint Framework Document and the draft report of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. It includes provisions for a devolved assembly and executive in Northern Ireland based on partnership between the two communities, effective North-South bodies, enhanced protection for human rights including in due course a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, and measures to bring about the normalisation of society in Northern Ireland, including a policing service fully representative of the community it serves.
The Government remains intensively engaged in the follow-up and implementation of the British-Irish Agreement, which involves a number of Ministers and Departments. An inter-departmental steering group chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs has been established to monitor and co-ordinate work. There is regular contact with the British Government and the political parties in the North.
As regards the commitment to protect the interests of smaller member states in institutional reform, decisions on certain institutional issues in the perspective of future enlargement, including the size and composition of the European Commission and the weighting of members states' votes in Council, were left unresolved in negotiations on the Treaty of Amsterdam. A protocol on the institutions with the prospect of enlargement of the European Union set out a work programme for considering such matters in the future. The European Council in Cardiff made clear that the first priority must be the ratification of the Treaty and agreed that once the treaty is ratified, an early decision will be required on how and when to tackle the institutional issues left over from Amsterdam.
The Government is committed to the protection of the interests of smaller member states, Ireland's insistence that the essential balances between member states within the European insitutions should not be altered to the detriment of smaller member states is well known to our EU partners and will be a fundamentally important principle underlying the approach to be taken by us in future discussion on further institutional reform.
The commitment to ensure a smooth transition to the new Structural Funds regime which takes account of regional imbalances within Ireland is being put into effect on a continuing basis in conjunction with other Departments directly concerned.
The detailed Commission proposals on Agenda 2000, which cover the future financial framework of the European Union, including the Structural and Cohesion Funds and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, were published on 18 March. They have since been discussed at the Cardiff European Council, at the General Affairs Council, ECOFIN and the Agriculture Council, and have also been examined at official level. Negotiations on the package are likely to be lengthy and to last well into next year.
The Cardiff European Council reviewed progress made to date in the negotiations. It set March 1999 as a target for reaching political agreement on the Agenda 2000 package as a whole.
While the Department of Finance is responsible in the first instance for the Structural Funds, the Department of Foreign Affairs has overall co-ordinating responsibility in relation to the Agenda 2000 negotiations.
While Ireland has participated constructively in the discussions, it has, like every other member state, vigorously defended its interests and will continue to do so. With regard to the Structural Funds, the Government has firmly maintained our case for continuing substantial funding for Ireland over the next financial period at a level which will provide for adequate transition arrangements and meet the needs of the whole country, including its less developed parts. We will continue to argue this case.
With regard to the aim of modernising the UN Ireland and her EU partners have been to the fore in promoting reform of the United Nations. We have given our strong support to the current reform efforts of the UN Secretary-General, the full implementation of which are still under discussion. Ireland and its EU partners will continue to lobby for reform measures and modernisation across the UN system.
In the area of development co-operation, the programme for Government includes a commitment to increase official development assistance, ODA, from its 1997 level of £122 million, 0.31 per cent of GNP, to at least 0.45 per cent of GNP by 2002. In late 1997, the Government took a significant step towards the implementation of this commitment by approving Estimates of expenditure for 1998 consistent with an ODA outturn for the year of £137 million, 0.32 per cent of GNP. The full implementation of the commitment will obviously depend on the Estimates allocations for 1999 and subsequent years. In addition to increasing the funding for ODA, I have also strengthened the procedures for planning and implementing the ODA programme with a view to enhancing the productivity and accountability of the expenditure.
In terms of expansion of the Ireland House concept, there is now consolidated representation involving diplomatic missions and one or more agencies in 16 locations worldwide. The latest Ireland House was opened in Madrid in October 1997, and it incorporates the embassy, An Bord Tráchtála, Bord Fáilte, BIM, and An Bord Bia. The possibility of extending the Ireland House concept to other locations will be kept under review in liaison with the State agencies through the foreign earnings committee. Any such arrangements must naturally be shown to be both cost effective and conducive to the more effective representation of Ireland's interests.
