SELECT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE debate -
Tuesday, 5 Jul 2011

Vote 29 - International Co-operation (Revised)

Chairman

I have received apologies from Deputies Maureen O'Sullivan and Michael McNamara.

I would like to welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, the Minister of State with responsibility for trade and development, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, the Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. David Cooney, Mr. Barrie Robinson, head of corporate services, Mr. Michael Gaffney, assistant secretary, and Ms Marie Cross, director of consular services and passports at the Irish abroad division of the Department.

I remind committee members to switch off their mobile phones completely for the duration of the meeting, as they cause interference with the recording equipment in the committee rooms, even when on silent mode. The proposed timetable for today is the consideration of Vote 28 and Vote 29, which has been circulated to all the party spokespersons. Is that agreed? Agreed. We are here to consider a Revised Estimate for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The revision is largely due to the incorporation of the trade function into the Department since the general election. Therefore, the meeting will be somewhat shorter than would normally be the case when considering Estimates, as we are only discussing the element of trade today.

The first item is Vote 28, so I call on the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to make an opening statement.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Eamon Gilmore)

Thank you, Chairman. This is my first opportunity to attend the committee since its constitution following the general election. I would like to congratulate you on your election as chairperson of the committee and all members on their appointments. I look forward to having frequent discussions with the committee and its members.

I thank you for giving me the opportunity to present the Estimates of my Department. As we have two Votes to consider, I propose, with your agreement, to focus on Vote 28, which mainly funds the operation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, while the Minister of State will present the budget under Vote 29, which covers the bulk of Ireland's official development assistance programme and which is managed by Irish Aid in my Department.

The situation is a little unusual this year as the Estimates being considered by all Dáil committees are largely based on a budget drawn up by the former Government. In other circumstances, they would have been considered by the Dáil some time ago. While I am not well placed to speak about the formulation of that budget, I can offer some views on how I see the resources of the Department being deployed. I am mindful that we will be joined shortly by colleagues from Seanad Éireann for a discussion of my policy priorities as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Today we are considering the allocation of taxpayers' money to my Department. It is my responsibility and that of my Government colleagues to ensure we get the best return for that expenditure. What I have seen, since receiving my seal of office as Minister in March, is an organisation which does not have many significant spending programmes, and which relies very heavily on the expertise, experience and commitment of its staff to promote Ireland's interests and values in the international arena, support Irish business abroad and deliver services to the public. In this regard, I have been struck by how lean the Irish diplomatic network is in comparison to countries we consider to be similar to ourselves. Our global interests are served with many fewer offices and staff than comparable countries. For example, we have 76 overseas missions; Denmark, which in many ways is similar in scale and background to ourselves, has 121. Finland has 800 diplomats serving abroad, compared with our 340. This means we must work harder and be smarter in order to make best use of our resources.

In recent months, these resources have been drawn upon to assist Irish citizens affected by the exceptional series of crises of different types which have occurred in New Zealand, Japan, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain. They have also been deployed in a sustained diplomatic effort to restore Ireland's international reputation. The programme for Government has given top priority to re-energising our international engagement within the EU, within the international multilateral organisations and bilaterally. In doing so, my colleagues and I have drawn on the established relationships maintained by our diplomatic corps in their countries of accreditation and by officials based in Dublin who participate in international negotiations.

All of this is about renewing our investment in foreign relations. The Taoiseach has spoken in the Dáil about the parlous state in which he has found Ireland's reputation within the EU. I can only agree with him. It is clear to me that we as a Government and all of us as parliamentarians now need to work together and prioritise the international agenda in a manner that has not been seen for some time. This committee can be an important vehicle in reinvigorating our international engagement. Its members can be assured that I and my ministerial colleagues will offer them co-operation and support in their work.

This objective is attainable. We had an extraordinary week in May when the confluence of visits by Queen Elizabeth and President Obama gave us a glimpse of how our resources can be used to leverage benefits for Ireland and project our values with our international partners. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the extraordinary efforts made by a large number of people within my own Department and in other Departments and services in achieving those very successful visits. As Minister, I saw at close quarters the exceptional level of dedication, organisational ability, creativity and flexibility needed to design, develop and implement these itineraries. In financial terms, our estimate of the cost of those visits to my Department was about €500,000. However, the actual outturn appears to be closer to €300,000.

While it is pleasing to look back with pride at achievements this year and look forward with confidence to future events such as Ireland's chairmanship of the OSCE next year and Presidency of the EU in 2013, it would be short-sighted of me not to point out that the pressure of diminishing resources is really beginning to affect my Department and all Departments. Let us be frank. A shortage of resources will continue to constrain our ability to do all the things we want to do. In some cases, we may have an option to implement projects over a longer timeframe, but in many cases we will have to increase our effort and smarten our approach but lower our expectations.

Conversely, the demand for departmental services continues to increase. Our citizens are travelling abroad in growing numbers to more distant and challenging destinations. This is leading to a larger and more complex consular caseload, including incidents of illness, crime and death and, as I mentioned earlier, large-scale emergency events, which have become more common in recent years.

Passport applications are up by 10% compared with 2009, which is placing extreme pressure on the ability of the service to meet public expectations. Regrettably, this is causing some inconvenience, particularly to people seeking passports at short notice. I have committed an exceptional level of resources to the passport offices in an effort to meet this unprecedented level of demand and the pressure seems to be abating gradually.

We cannot lose sight of the chronic budgetary situation the country is facing. The Estimates before the committee reflect that fact. There are reductions in most subhead allocations and the money available to my Department is now 28% lower than it was three years ago. Most of these reductions have been achieved by attacking the Department's cost base and squeezing savings from every corner of the system. However, there are limits to this approach and we are rapidly approaching them. That is why the Government is conducting a comprehensive review of expenditure. What we are trying to achieve with the review is a resetting of Government expenditure to address our new priorities with our 2011 level of resources. I cannot anticipate the outcome of the review but I can assure the committee that I will seek to ensure my Department is equipped to discharge the responsibilities conferred on it by the Government and the Oireachtas.

I hope I have been able to help the committee to form a view of how the resources allocated to Vote 28 are being managed and applied. I will be happy to answer any questions committee members may have after the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, has introduced Vote 29.

Chairman

I thank the Minister for his overview of the situation. Before we take questions I will call on the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. We will then have statements from the party spokespersons.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Jan O’Sullivan)

I join with the Minister in congratulating the Chairman and the other members of the committee on their appointments and I look forward to working with them into the future.

I will give a brief introduction to our plans for 2011 under Vote 29, international co-operation. The Vote covers the main elements of the Government's overseas development programme, managed by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I am honoured to have been given responsibility for the Government's aid programme. In just a few months I have seen for myself the contribution that Ireland is making to international development policy and the impact our programme is having on the lives of poor families and communities in Africa. My recent visits to Malawi and Mozambique and the Minister's visit to Tanzania provided an important opportunity to restate clearly to our partners in Africa our commitment to the programme as a central element in Ireland's foreign policy.

The aid programme has always enjoyed strong cross-party support in the Oireachtas. I acknowledge the support that was expressed by the two main Opposition spokespersons in the Dáil recently during Question Time. Even during the most difficult times at home, the programme has been supported by the Irish people. However, this cannot be taken for granted. I look forward to engaging with this committee in a constructive and detailed way on the objectives and impact of the aid programme and to ensuring the Irish people have the greatest possible understanding of how public funds are being used in the fight against extreme poverty and hunger in our world. I strongly believe that our continued commitment to Ireland's development programme is consistent with our values and interests as a people, with our place on the world stage and with our wider efforts to rebuild Ireland's international reputation.

The Government is committed to the 0.7% GNP target for official development assistance, and we will seek to achieve it by 2015. For 2011, the overall allocation for ODA has been set at €659 million. Of this, €534 million will be managed by Irish Aid under Vote 29. The remaining €135 million comprises Ireland's allocation of the EU development co-operation budget and development contributions by other Departments. On current projections, the overall allocation will amount to about 0.52% of GNP, which will keep Ireland ahead of the EU interim target of 0.51% set for 2010.

Meeting our targets will be a real challenge. We can do so, however, if we as a people can rise to the challenge of reforming and restoring growth to the Irish economy. At a time of scarce resources, it is essential that we be able to demonstrate with total clarity that the funding provided for the aid programme is used to maximise the impact on the lives of poor people and communities. We need to be able to measure that impact and ensure there is no duplication of effort with other organisations. We will work internally and internationally to reinvigorate the approach to international development, ensuring that the effects of our actions and policies can be measured not just in terms of the millennium development goals but in the lives of real people.

The OECD has described Ireland as a champion in making aid work more effectively. We will take that leadership role to the major international meeting to be held in Korea later this year on aid effectiveness. I look forward to attending the meeting in November. It will represent a crucial milestone, at a time of budgetary pressures everywhere, in the international effort to judge the quality of development assistance and its contribution to social and economic progress in developing countries. Ireland's development programme is renowned for its genuine spirit of partnership with developing countries, for its strong focus on the fight against global poverty and hunger and for its concentration on the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

As promised in the programme for Government, I have launched a review of the White Paper on Irish Aid to ensure we can maximise our impact at a time of great change at home and abroad. The detailed review will be carried out in the coming 12 months. It will involve wide consultation and I look forward to engaging with the members of the committee during that process. At the end of the review I hope that collectively we will have a clear understanding of the priorities for the future direction of the Irish Aid programme and that we will have an even stronger public understanding of why Ireland should maintain its work with the poorest people of the developing world, while recognising that persistent poverty and inequality represents a direct threat to their lives and to the wider prospects for economic and political progress. I assure the committee that the Government is determined to ensure that every cent spent on the aid programme delivers value for money with clear accountability to the people and to the partners with which we work in developing countries. I look forward to answering any questions the committee may have and to working closely with it.

Chairman

I thank the Minister of State for her positive statement on Ireland Aid. I will call on the party spokespersons to make an opening statement. First, I call Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl from Fianna Fáil.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl

I avail of the opportunity to thank the Minister and the Minister of State for coming before the committee and for their statements on the Estimates. I look forward to the committee supporting the endeavours of the Minister and Minister of State because it is in the national interest and in the interests of the poorest of the world's communities that the work the Department is undertaking is successful.

I compliment the Department on its handling recently of the visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama. They were remarkably successful and a credit to all involved. That the Department managed to see through the visits without extending beyond the original estimate of expenditure is to be commended.

I pay tribute to the outstanding work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff. I am conscious that of 1,400 staff in the Department, some 700 are abroad at any given time. They do a fine job for the country. One is always conscious when one speaks to people who have returned from abroad or who are abroad and experiencing difficulty of the positive experience they have in engaging with the staff in our embassies or consulates and the positive response they receive from the staff involved at all times. We should be conscious of the vast scale of the work being undertaken. I understand there are diplomatic relations with some 174 Governments throughout the world and operations in more than 60 embassies. We must send out a message that we are committed politically to maintaining this level of international engagement and, as the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has for the first time, to using the embassies and consulates as shop windows for Ireland and as an opportunity to promote Ireland, its produce and the country as a tourist destination throughout the world.

I am concerned about the operations of the passport office in Dublin. The Minister's optimism about things improving is not borne out by what I have heard. It appears there are still significant difficulties there. If what I have been told is true, the express passport system is now taking four weeks to bear results. People may dispute this but that is the information I have received. I understand that in Cork similar delays are not a feature of the operation of the system. I realise Government is not in favour of decentralisation but has the Tánaiste given any consideration to the possibility of approaching the passport system by way of having several locations where passports could be processed?

I regret the Minister's comments in his opening remarks about the reputation of Ireland abroad and in particular what the Minister had to say about the reputation of Ireland in the EU. One accepts fully that the sudden and dramatic economic decline here has affected our relations. However, I put it to the Minister that it is unfair and wrong to criticise or blame the members of the outgoing Administration for being negligent or remiss in fulfilling their duties. Since this complaint has been levelled against the outgoing Government I have gone out of my way to consult people who were party to or members of that Government and I cannot find anyone who will admit to not fulfilling his or her role in terms of his or her responsibility at EU level.

In terms of the aid budget, Fianna Fáil will be enthusiastic in its support for the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, in the work she is undertaking. There has been some bad press and unfair criticism in recent times from sources which should know better about the value of the work being done in the poorest of poor countries in the developing world. There is always an onus on us to ensure that we get value for money. I emphasise to the Minister of State that she must be seen clearly to insist on value for money and I recognise this is something she will do. Whatever we say about poverty here, it is not poverty at all compared with the absolute destitution of communities that receive support from us.

Will the Minister of State inform the committee whether it is her intention to continue the focus on the six programme countries in sub-Saharan Africa? Given that we face an unprecedented crisis in Somalia does the Minister of State have any flexibility to address that issue?

The Minister of State intends to bring forward a White Paper on Irish Aid. This is to be welcomed and I hope the committee will make a significant input to it. However, those best positioned to discuss Irish Aid are in the receiving countries. How does the Minister of State envisage achieving an effective input from the recipient countries in terms of devising our national policy in this area?

I wish the Minister and Minister of State well and I look forward to supporting them in the positive agendas which, I am sure, they will pursue and I look forward to making a useful contribution to the committee.

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

I thank the Tánaiste and Minister of State for their opening statements and for their pitch to us to endorse the Estimates as presented. I have been appointed to the role of Sinn Féin spokesperson for foreign affairs and trade. As part of that responsibility I have engaged with a considerable number of stakeholders already, including NGOs, embassies and so on. It is clear that there is a high regard for the staff in the Department. There is a keen sense of shared objectives, the need for a team effort to assist those at great disadvantage throughout the world and to work together to promote the historical contribution that Ireland has made. We are highly respected.

I will return shortly to the narrative around recent years and our economic difficulties. When one carries out a cursory examination of Ireland's contribution to international affairs in decades gone by, it is clear that we have made an honourable contribution and one of which we can be proud. Not the least of which we can be proud is the appointment of our former President, Ms Mary Robinson, as the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights. This has been our reputation and it is something upon which we must continue to build. I direct these comments to the staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its leadership here today.

Deputy Ó Fearghaíl remarked on the issue of the Passport Office. There may be issues around the moratorium and pressures on staff but it is very clear that there have been considerable delays and great anxiety caused to people about to engage in travel who had submitted documents within a reasonable time. Without dwelling too much on the issue, I urge the Minister to continue to address those issues.

I commend the staff on the front line who have to work in very difficult circumstances dealing with people in great distress every day on Molesworth Street. They deserve the full compliments of this committee for the efforts they are putting in on our behalf. I want to convey our thanks to the staff who are doing the best job they can under the circumstances.

I note the data on our overseas missions and diplomats compared with other countries of similar size and population. It is an important point. It goes without saying that we should keep an eye on travel and accommodation costs. People are engaged in excellent work overseas. A newspaper headline on the use of four or five-star accommodation cannot be acceptable. I hope it is not happening but if it is it should be investigated. We should ensure that people are flying economy class, staying in reasonable accommodation and not undermining the excellent work that is taking place.

I want to comment on a diplomatic initiative. The Tánaiste in his comments referred to the damage done to our reputation. Damage has been done to it but much of it is exaggerated and unwarranted. There is no doubt that we fundamentally failed in our statutory responsibilities in this State. It was one of the great causes of our economic crisis. However, much of the narrative that has been circulated around core European states and internationally is unfair to the Irish people.

As I have pointed out, there are champions of our people and country who have won Nobel prizes in economics, such as Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz. They have pointed out the unfair and unreasonable expectations that have been put upon us as part of the EU and IMF programme. The sovereign debt of our country has been burdened with private banking debt for which the Irish were not responsible.

Comparing Ireland's debacle with that of Greece is entirely unfair. To be lumped into the unfortunate PIIGS acronym which refers to Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain is something we need to combat. I urge our foreign affairs mission to be very assertive in its defence of our interests and lobby very strongly for renegotiation and a fair deal for the Irish people.

When the Tánaiste launched the initiative it was sincere and I urge him continue to make public or private efforts. According to some Government Deputies he is making efforts. I ask diplomats to increase them and to defend the good name of the Irish people. They should point in particular to our history in overseas aid and leading the charge in defending human rights internationally. We have a noble and proud history which we should be putting up in bright lights.

On Vote 29, I commend the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, for her comments and defence of overseas aid in recent times in the face of clumsy and lazy analyses of it from some sources. As I said, our legacy in defending the interests of disadvantaged and impoverished people across the world is a proud one. When one thinks of Ireland, one thinks of our NGOs such as Concern, Trócaire and Dóchas, as well as volunteers across the world and the heroic efforts some of our priests and nuns have made internationally. They are amazing people. It is critical that we continue to resource that area, even in difficult times.

I ask for the indulgence of the Chair as a new committee member. I welcome the review of the White Paper. It is important that, in the face of critics, we deal with the challenges in an authoritative fashion and defend and demonstrate that our expenditure is being utilised in the best fashion and going to those who need it most. We should dispel some of the outlandish claims that are circulating.

I commend the Tánaiste. What we said in the Dáil Chamber stands. If he continues to defend the interests of disadvantaged and impoverished people he will not have any difficulty with Opposition spokespersons.

Chairman

I welcome the strong commitment of the Minister of State to achieve the 0.7% GNP target for official development assistance. It is welcome to hear her words. I heard her give the same commitment on the radio on Malawi.

On the Passport Office, one will always be at the wrong end of things. I had a very good experience with it over the weekend when a constituent had to get a passport for a child who was travelling to the US. She received her passport at 9.30 a.m. yesterday and was on a flight from Shannon to the US today at 1 p.m. I commend the Tánaiste for that. I am sure there are many other examples.

We recognise that there are problems which may be the result of resource or organisational issues. The Passport Office is the main point of interaction between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the general public. It is very important that the Department resources its front line services adequately.

I welcome the addition of the trade portfolio to the Department. It is an important one to have. I strongly believe that our embassies abroad are uniquely positioned to lead in terms of foreign trade promotion. Our committee will be willing to assist in this work in any way it can in future. A number of Governments Deputies are anxious to speak. I ask them to be brief because we are short of time.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister of State on their first visit to the committee. I congratulate them, the public service and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in particular, in respect of the recent visits of the President of the United States and Queen Elizabeth. Critics of the alleged expenditure involved need to keep in mind at all times that there is ongoing expenditure in respect of Departments and the security forces that has to be paid for.

The extra costs involved, the value of which could not be bought in terms of international projection of a positive image of the country, could not have come at a more important time than now. Our congratulations should go to all concerned, including the Tánaiste and staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Garda and that the public service in general. There is no way that the kind of positive publicity accruing from those visits could have been purchased in any other way, shape or form to get global coverage.

I welcome that the trade portfolio is being brought under the control of the Department. It is something many of us have pursued for many years in the House. It is appropriate to use the diplomatic corps to project the national image, make and achieve contacts and secure for the country the international standing that is required at the current time more than ever before. It is very important.

I acknowledge the slimmed down version, compared with other countries, of our diplomatic service. I congratulate it on its impact. I hate the phrase "We punch above our weight." It annoys me whenever I hear it. However, this is a case where our public service has worked above and beyond the call of duty and continues to do so. This is in line with expectations. We now have to worker harder and longer for less money. We must all show that we have the ability to do something for the good of the nation, to make a significant contribution for the benefit of the nation, right now and not just talk about it. The Department is uniquely placed and it is showing an example. We have all seen our diplomats in action abroad and this has to be recognised and appreciated and I congratulate them.

The Passport Office has been referred to and I accept that in Cork the situation is much more effective than in Dublin. We will not go into the case of the football or hurling but I was never a fan of decentralisation, for a very different reason. I have always believed that the delivery of a service is best done from a location most likely to be most effective in the delivery of that service. This means one or two locations. I have the utmost sympathy for the staff of the Passport Office in Dublin but the system is too spread out between Balbriggan and the city centre and I do not think it is working. Too much time is wasted and lost in transport and transmission of documentation, etc. We need to concentrate on the fastest possible way of delivering the service, effectively and efficiently, for the benefit of those involved. The morale of staff in the Passport Office is extremely low at present and this is understandable. The public should not have to spend time queuing and genuflecting, as it were, or living in hope. It was never meant to be that way. This is not intended as a criticism of the Minister or of the Minister of State and I said this when I raised this matter on the Adjournment of the House. It would be remiss of me not to comment, in honour of the staff of the office, who are obviously over-burdened by the extent and volume of work by virtue of the demand. When a demand occurs we should be in a position to deal with it as quickly as possible.

I congratulate the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development aid for her defence of this aid. The country is in straitened circumstances and many people are feeling the pinch in every known way throughout the country. It is no harm at a time like this to also reflect on those who are even less well off than ourselves. Many aspects of our society are in a poor state and subject to the exigencies of our times. However, it behoves us to always recognise that there are people who may be worse off. I compliment the Minister of State and the Minister on their useful defence of this aid.

Deputy Eric Byrne

I am new to this committee and I ask the Chairman to bear with me as it is a learning curve for me. I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State to the meeting. I wish to bring to their attention the unofficial ambassadors who represent this country across the globe and I congratulate Irish Aid for choosing such talented and honourable citizens to represent this country in OSCE and ODIHR projects monitoring elections throughout the world. I have been around a long time on overseas and other missions and I have travelled extensively. The quality of the personnel operating on behalf of the Department through Irish Aid has gone up in leaps and bounds in the 25 years since I first started.

The country needs the support of the diaspora for development work in many parts of the world. There may be a case to be made that a panel of people who have served throughout the world might be convened with a view to tapping into their understanding of world events or to thank them for in many cases undertaking the monitoring of elections in very diverse conditions. The short-term observers are wonderful but even the long-term observers are of an exceptional standard and quality. I served as a monitor and I can assure the committee that there are occasions when monitors are called upon to intervene in an international way at local level with some of the difficulties that can arise in these complex and stressful conditions. I take my hat off to that section of the Department.

I note Irish Aid supports the very successful Africa day held in the Iveagh Gardens. Why is Irish Aid the sponsor of Africa day, when other agencies such as Dublin City Council, through its office of integration, is organising events brilliantly from a very small office? The Chinese new year festivals and festivals on behalf of all the new communities in the country are organised by a small staff. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown runs an international event with diverse foods and culture and Fingal local authority also organises similar events. I suggest these agencies could be involved in the promotion of cultural diversity and integration at home. For instance, organising the Chinese new year celebrations involves dealing not just with the indigenous Chinese population but also with the ambassador and official China. I was disappointed, having returned from a very successful ceremony celebrating the twinning of Dublin city with Beijing, to discover a day or two later, that a very important Chinese delegation was in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery as guests of the Ceann Comhairle and I had not been informed. I suggest this committee should co-ordinate the visits of visiting delegations.

Ireland's society is now very diverse with 120 new communities. I have a particular interest in integration. Another issue for future discussion is the role of trade and foreign affairs. I am conscious of the excellent work being done at ambassadorial level but it has not been fully explained how the trade links and foreign affairs will work under one Department. Given our economic situation there is very important work to be done in cementing the relationship between the trade role and the diplomatic role of our embassies.

Chairman

I ask the final two speakers to be brief to allow time for the Tánaiste to respond and as we have another meeting beginning at 3.30 p.m.

Deputy Dan Neville

There has been criticism of people who continue to repeat what everyone else has said. I wish to take the opportunity to congratulate the Tánaiste on his appointment as this is my first opportunity to do so. I have spoken on several occasions with the junior Minister, including the day she was selected. We have something in common in that we are both from Limerick. I subscribe to the importance of this committee and I would not have asked to be chosen for this committee if I did not agree with its importance. I recognise from my experience of 22 years as a Member of the Oireachtas the importance of connectivity throughout the world. We have all dealt with consuls in various countries on behalf of constituents who are in difficulty abroad. From the general diplomatic point of view, it is important to develop and maintain contacts with a view to repairing Ireland's reputation abroad and encouraging trade, which is vital for our economy recovery. I look forward to exploring this area in the committee.

On Irish Aid, I am pleased so much attention is being paid to sub-Saharan Africa. I have visited the region several times on a voluntary basis and seen the poverty there. The last time I visited was some time ago and I was struck by the difficulties that can arise in terms of safeguarding the effectiveness of our aid delivery in Africa. This is an issue we debated in the last Dáil and I look forward to contributing to the committee's work in this regard.

Deputy Dara Murphy

I congratulate the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, and the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on their appointments. The amalgamation of foreign affairs and trade within one Department is overdue. For a small, open economy like ours, there is no doubt the damage to our international reputation is a cause of grave concerns. The causes of that damage might best be debated in another forum, but the reality is that the potential to recommence and redevelop our relationships abroad is of great importance for the future of our economy and our country. I wish the Tánaiste the best of luck in that vital task.

Deputy Eric Byrne mentioned that many local authorities are expanding the scope of city and town twinning initiatives, which is welcome. Dublin has been twinned with Beijing, for example, and my own city of Cork has been twinned for six or seven years with Shanghai. Strong partnerships are being developed throughout the country. To put Deputy Bernard Durkan's reference to punching above our weight in context, Shanghai has a population of 20 million. It would be greatly to Ireland's benefit to use those links to enhance trade and to review the Ireland-Asia strategy which has largely been mothballed in the last decade.

On the passport issue, the Cork office is functioning reasonably well. Perhaps nobody should be too surprised that Cork is managing to do marginally better than Dublin. However, there is a major problem with the passport express service in that people continue to be assured at the post office that the timeframe will be honoured even though that is not proving to be the case. We must endeavour to ensure the delays currently being experienced are not repeated next summer. In addition, there must be greater clarity regarding the current difficulties so that people presenting with passport applications are aware there may be a delay. I know from personal experience that it is taking three to four weeks to secure a passport through passport express.

Chairman

As we are almost out of time, I invite the Tánaiste to respond briefly to members. He will have an opportunity at the next meeting to respond in more detail.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

Thank you, Chairman. I will respond briefly to the issues raised and expand on those relating specifically to policy at the next meeting. I thank members for their words of congratulation and, in particular, their kind words regarding the staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which are richly deserved. We operate with a small but dedicated team whose members do a huge amount of work both at home and in the various missions in which we are represented. It is great that their contribution has been so strongly affirmed by the party spokespersons and other members.

Several Deputies raised the issue of Ireland's reputation, an issue which I will return to in more detail at the next meeting. For now, I assure Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl that I do not regard this as a partisan issue.

In regard to costs, as I said earlier, travel costs, for example, are down some 28% on three years ago. We have a formal policy, approved by the Department of Finance and the Department of public expenditure and reform, with regard to travel arrangements and so on, which provides for the use of modest hotels, people carriers and economy class other than on long-haul flights. It is our policy to keep all costs to a minimum.

On the trade issue, the Department has always had a role in regard to trade in that missions abroad are a large part of its remit. Work is being done in this area by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland and those agencies will remain responsible to their line Departments. In other words, there are dimensions of trade which will remain within the remit of other Departments. However, the primary responsibility for the promotion of trade will now rest with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We intend to give expression to that objective via the establishment of an export trade council, chaired by me, which I intend to have up and running by the end of this month. It will bring together all Departments and agencies with a trade responsibility, together with private sector representatives, with a view to developing a joined-up approach to the promotion of trade. Our presence abroad, both in respect of the Department and of the various agencies, is relatively small. As such, it is incumbent on us to secure the best possible bang for our buck.

I listened with interest to Deputy Eric Byrne's suggestion that people who have represented Ireland abroad could act as unofficial ambassadors. That is something we might consider in the context of our presidency of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE.

On the passports issue, the turnaround time for passport express should be ten working days but is currently running at 15. However, we are confident we are over the hump, with the latest data showing the number of applications to be processed at 51,000, down from a high of 57,000. Several factors have contributed to the delays in processing passports this year. The main one is the significant increase in applications, with more than 5,000 per day being submitted on some occasions. In many of these cases, the applications involve a request for a passport to be delivered in a shorter timeframe than that applicable via passport express. We suspect this is probably due to people availing of last-minute holiday offers, with many of the applications being for children. The increase in the number of people applying to Molesworth Street has added to the delay because it has imposed additional pressure in terms of turnaround.

We are taking several actions to deal with the delay. We have taken on some 80 part-time staff and increased overtime working for the purposes of working through the backlog. In addition, the passport production machine that was out of operation as a result of a flood in the Passport Office has been replaced and the new machine is expected to be in service by the end of the month. We are confident these measures will reduce the number of outstanding applications and restore the processing time to normal.

I thank members for their contributions. I will expand on some of the issues raised at the next meeting.

Deputy Jan O’Sullivan

I will try to provide composite replies in respect of some of the comments and questions. On the general support for the programme and on the need to continue to communicate well in respect of it, we are doing the latter in so far as is possible. I have engaged with many of the NGOs in that regard. I welcome the points made by members in respect of this matter.

The review of the White Paper will give us an opportunity to engage with the public. Deputy Ó Fearghaíl referred to the receiving or programme countries. He may rest assured that we intend to consult people in the programme countries. At present, there are nine such countries and seven of them are located in Africa. The two other programme countries are Vietnam and Timor-Leste. At present, there is no intention to reduce the number of programme countries. Obviously, however, we must monitor the situation on an ongoing basis in order to ensure that we are doing the right thing and that we are obtaining value for money. There is an internal auditing and evaluation function within the Department, which is independent, and there is the OECD peer review. Matters are, therefore, examined on an ongoing basis. The review of the White Paper will provide us with the opportunity to ensure that our systems are as strong as possible. We have an extremely good reputation in respect of those systems.

The issue regarding Somalia and the Horn of Africa is one of great concern. Members will have seen and heard television and radio reports relating to this matter. The Government has been following the situation for a number of months. More than €4 million in aid has been approved since the beginning of the year in respect of this crisis. Concern, Trócaire and World Vision have received a total of €2.6 million for their emergency programmes and €1.5 million has been provided to the United Nations in Somalia for distribution to humanitarian agencies and NGOs operating there. In a sense, we have been aware that this crisis has been developing and action has already been taken. Some 11 members of the rapid response corps have been deployed to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. That aspect of the response has, therefore, also been activated. Irish Aid officials are in daily contact with our partner agencies in the Horn of Africa. We will continue to support those agencies and do whatever is possible.

Deputy Eric Byrne raised two issues. The Tánaiste has already commented on supervised elections, etc. The Deputy is probably aware of the Irish Aid information centre in O'Connell Street in Dublin. The latter might well be a good venue in which to hold some form of consultation meeting.

Irish Aid started Africa Day in order to get it off the ground but this year a number of other organisations, including Dublin City Council, were also involved. In the city in which I live, Limerick, the city council, Doras Luimní - the welcoming organisation for immigrant communities - and Fun Ireland came together to organise the events held there on Africa Day. Similar events were held in Galway, Kilkenny and a number of other places. We are trying to engage other organisations rather than expecting Irish Aid to run Africa Day on its own. However, Irish Aid will continue to fund it.

I again thank members for their contributions. We look forward to their involvement in the review of the White Paper.

Chairman

On behalf of the select committee, I thank the Tánaiste, the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and their officials for coming before us. A large number of officials from the Department accompanied the Tánaiste and the Minister of State to these proceedings. I hope that is a sign of things to come. While we will be remaining independent, we will be working closely with them. This is an important committee with much important work to do.

I take this opportunity to note the presence in the Gallery of members of the diplomatic corps and representatives from the NGO sector. We look forward to the continued engagement of those individuals with the committee in the coming months. The meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade will follow shortly so those in the Gallery who are staying with us should remain in their seats.