Vol. 573 No. 1
161 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his Department's contacts with the Ugandan parliamentary delegation which recently visited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24420/03]
The Ugandan parliamentary delegation visited Ireland from 22 to 26 September 2003 at the invitation of the Ceann Comhairle. While in Ireland the delegation, which was led by the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, met with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and representatives of Fine Gael and the Labour Party as well as the Ceann Comhairle. They also had meetings at the Institute of Public Administration, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Standards in Public Office Commission.
I hosted lunch for the members of the Ugandan parliamentary delegation in Iveagh House on 23 September 2003. The meeting provided a useful opportunity for an exchange of views on current developments in Uganda and in the Great Lakes region. Ireland's programme of development co-operation with Uganda was also discussed.
The visit of the Ugandan parliamentary delegation took place under an AWEPA, European Parliamentarians for Africa, implemented programme of support for the modernisation of the Ugandan Parliament which is being co-financed by Development Co-operation Ireland to the amount of €360,000 over a three-year period from 2002 to 2004. It aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Ugandan Parliament through the development of appropriate representative and administrative capabilities. In particular, it seeks to contribute to the professional development of MPs through such means as working visits to European and regional parliaments, which are intended to expose MPs to different aspects of democratic and parliamentary practice. This assistance is in line with Development Co-operation Ireland's support for the development of good governance, which is a key component of our Uganda programme, underpinning as it does the entire development process. I welcome the development of interparliamentary links between the Oireachtas and our priority development partners.
