Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2017
166. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 397 of 26 July 2017, if the election consultant observer who had the volunteer grant written off had to provide vouchers to account for the grant; if the details of the grant scheme will be published in order to ensure accountability and transparency in the operation of this grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45175/17]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of observers for election monitoring missions. We aim to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level on international observation missions for elections and constitutional referendums. Irish observers participate primarily in missions organised by the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Further to my reply to Parliamentary Question No 397 of 26 July 2017 members of the election observation roster undertaking a mission, receive a once-off grant annually of €600 from the Department to cover pre-departure mission expenses including vaccinations and transport costs, ahead of travel to the country in question.
In this particular case, the pre-departure grant was paid to a nominated observer who had commenced preparations for an EU upcoming mission. At a late stage, this observer was appointed by the EU to the Core Team overseeing the Mission. Given the extreme lateness of the appointment – within a day or two of departure - pre departure expenditure such as vaccination had been incurred. Under the circumstances the Department did not seek the repayment of the grant.
As part of the roster application process in 2013, the Information Note for Applicants advised all potential applicants of the eligibility requirements for the pre departure grant, prior to submitting their application. It is intended to again provide details on the pre departure grant as part of the application process when the next roster recruitment process gets underway, later this year.
