Written Answers Nos. 209-224
209. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill ; and when it is expected that the Bill will come before the Houses for First Stage [15680/26]
View answerIn June 2025, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill.
The main purpose of the Bill is to prohibit the importation of goods into the State from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, in line with the Programme for Government commitment.
Legally, the regulation of external trade in services is considerably more complex than is the case with goods at EU level. There would also be greater complexity when it comes to implementation than is the case with regard to trade in goods.
The Government has received the Attorney General’s advice on the question of whether the inclusion of services in the Bill is permissible under EU law. The advice, which is detailed and extensive, identifies a number of significant legal and practical issues with the regulation by a Member State of trade in services with a country or territory outside the EU. Following detailed consideration by officials in my Department, clarification has been sought from the Attorney General on a number of legal issues.
Any legislation must be legally robust, able to withstand challenge and progress the Government's broader policy agenda.
Work is advancing across a number of strands at official level as well as engagement at EU level.
It remains the Government’s preference that collective action would be taken at EU level and we continue to pursue this.
210. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No.189 of 19 February 2026, and reply that her Department has “no affiliation with the referenced website” includes confirmation that, since 1 January 2015, her Department has not received or responded to correspondence from any entity operating under the name ‘Diplomat.ie’; her Department has not held meetings, whether in person or virtual, with any representative of such entity; has not provided any funding, grant assistance, sponsorship, procurement payment, or other financial support to such entity or any associated legal person; and has not authorised any individual associated with that entity to act in any diplomatic, consular, trade, advisory, representative, or quasi-diplomatic capacity on behalf of the State. [15703/26]
View answerMy Department corresponded on one occasion with a representative from Diplomat.ie in December 2020, responding to a request for photos. These were provided as per my Department's policy to make publicly available photos of relevant Ministers and events. My Department has no records of either meetings, in person or virtual, with representatives acting on behalf of Diplomat.ie, or the provision of any funding or financial support to this website. I can further confirm that my Department has not authorised any individual associated with Diplomat.ie to act on behalf of the State.
211. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department calculates, or can calculate from grant financial reports held by her Department, the aggregate proportion of Ireland’s total Official Development Assistance in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 that was retained by implementing partners for programme support costs, overhead, administration, consultancy, or management charges; and if so, to provide the proportion for each year. [15704/26]
View answer212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department does not currently calculate a blended effective overhead rate across total Official Development Assistance expenditure, the reason this metric is not produced, the accounting or data constraints that prevent it, and the steps she will take to enable publication of such a rate for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 [15705/26]
View answer215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide by grant scheme under Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme, the benchmarks, ceilings, or reference ranges applied to headquarters administration, programme quality costs, consultancy, or other indirect costs in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and to specify the control mechanism used to verify compliance in each scheme, including financial reporting requirements and verification checks [15708/26]
View answer216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in respect of her statement that generic thresholds are not applied, to set out the criteria used by her Department to decide when benchmarks or ceilings for administrative costs are applied at grant level; and to provide the number of grants approved in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 which had an explicit administrative or overhead ceiling attached, and the number which did not. [15709/26]
View answer217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether any funded programme in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 was assessed by her Department, at appraisal stage or during financial review, as having an administrative, overhead, consultancy, or programme support cost ratio outside what her Department considered reasonable for the relevant scheme or context; and if so, to provide the number of such instances in each year and the corrective action taken in each case, including revised budgets, conditions imposed, suspension, or non-payment. [15710/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 211, 212, 215, 216 and 217 together.
The Government's international development programme, Irish Aid, is focused on supporting countries and communities experiencing the greatest levels of need. This support is delivered primarily through trusted partners, including multilateral organisations and non-governmental organisations operating in some of the world’s poorest, most climate-vulnerable, and conflict-affected regions.
Indirect administrative costs constitute an essential component of the implementation of development projects and programmes. These costs, covering items such as office rental, legal services, and internal audit functions, enable partner organisations to operate effectively and efficiently, thereby ensuring the delivery of meaningful assistance to those most in need.
We are committed to reporting administrative costs incurred by the Department to the OECD Development Assistance Committee, which monitors and reviews international ODA figures and statistics. For 2022, 2023, and 2024, administrative costs consistently represented some 3% of Ireland's total ODA, excluding eligible supports for Ukrainian refugees.
With respect to partner organisations, the Department does not apply standardised thresholds for indirect administrative costs, given the diversity of sectors, contexts, and geographical settings in which grant recipients operate. Nor does the Department maintain a consolidated schedule or aggregate total of such costs. Instead, benchmarks or ceilings for administrative costs are applied at the level of individual grants or schemes where appropriate. Each grant undergoes a detailed, case-by-case assessment of administrative costs, taking into account contextual factors and available alternatives. These assessments form part of the Department’s standard grant-awarding and grant-management processes.
If a prospective grantee’s administrative costs are assessed as excessive, the grant does not proceed. As a result, the Department does not maintain records of such instances, as no financial relationship is established with organisations whose applications are not advanced.
For competitive grant schemes, such as Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for a Better World (ICSP), the same criteria are applied to all applicants and are published in advance. For example, under ICSP, headquarters administration and programme quality costs are each eligible for funding up to a maximum of 6% of the total annual ICSP allocation. Other grants are assessed on their individual merits, with regard to value for money for beneficiaries and Irish taxpayers. The Department does not maintain records of the number of grants to which such conditionality, such as overhead thresholds, applies.
Once a grant has been awarded, the Department undertakes monitoring and risk management, as part of its standard approach to grant management. This includes the application of governance and compliance conditions, as well as robust internal and external controls, including audits and evaluations. Compliance with agreed indirect cost rates forms part of a broader assessment process that reflects the often complex and dynamic environments in which partner organisations operate.
Ireland’s commitment to fostering high-quality partnerships “characterised by mutual trust and flexible and reliable funding”was highlighted in Ireland’s 2020 OECD-DAC Peer Review as a core strength of the our ODA programme.
213. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, a breakdown of Ireland’s core contributions to multilateral organisations by recipient organisation and amount, and to state for each organisation the standard programme support cost rate, indirect cost recovery rate, or equivalent administrative levy applied to core resources, as published by the organisation or applied contractually, and the estimated euro value associated with that rate for Ireland’s contribution in each year [15706/26]
View answer214. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department holds, for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, a schedule of programme support cost rates, indirect cost recovery rates, or equivalent charges applied by multilateral partners to Ireland-funded expenditure, including where Ireland provides earmarked contributions, and if so, to provide that schedule and the total estimated euro value of such charges in each year. [15707/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.
The Government's international development programme, Irish Aid, is dedicated to providing support to countries and communities experiencing the most acute levels of need, including those located in some of the world’s poorest or most climate-vulnerable regions, as well as populations affected by conflict.
We provide core grants to trusted multilateral partners with whom we share key development and humanitarian priorities. These contributions include funding to United Nations agencies, the World Bank, other multilateral organisations, and Ireland’s share of the European Union’s development cooperation budget. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided €128.3 million in core support to multilateral organisations in 2022, €143.9 million in 2023, and €145.8 million in 2024. The Irish Aid Annual Reports contain detailed breakdowns of Ireland’s total funding to each multilateral organisation for 2022, 2023, and 2024, encompassing both core and earmarked contributions.
Given the diversity of sectors, operating environments, and geographic contexts in which grant recipients work, the Department does not apply standardised thresholds for administrative or overhead costs when awarding grants. Nor does it maintain a schedule of indirect cost-recovery rates or equivalent metrics for core contributions. However, many multilateral organisations publish annual “Core Resources” reports, alongside their general annual reports, which set out how core funding is utilised to support their mandates. For instance, UNICEF’s www.unicef.org/reports/core-resources-annual-report-2024 is publicly accessible.
Core contributions provide trusted multilateral organisations with essential flexibility and predictability, enabling them to prioritise their activities effectively. They also provide a stable foundation that allows organisations to leverage additional earmarked funding to achieve targeted outcomes for those most in need. Ireland’s core funding is therefore integral to promoting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring continuity of operations, even in situations of crisis or disruption.
To ensure robust internal and external oversight, the Department’s independent Evaluation and Audit Unit conducts objective assessments, provides assurance and advice relating to the delivery of Ireland’s international development programme, and offers insights into corporate performance, governance, and risk management. The work of the Evaluation and Audit Unit is subject to validation by an external Audit Committee.
Details of ODA-eligible core support funding provided through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the years 2022–2024 are set out in tabular form below. These figures exclude core contributions made by other Government Departments, including Ireland’s share of the EU Development Cooperation Budget, as well as project-specific or earmarked funding, which does not constitute core funding.
|
Organisation |
2022 (€ ‘000s) |
2023 (€ ‘000s) |
2024 (€ ‘000s) |
|
African Tax Administration Forum |
|
400 |
400 |
|
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) |
11,500 |
14,500 |
14,000 |
|
CGIAR Fund |
4,667 |
5,875 |
5,000 |
|
Convention to Combat Desertification |
27 |
33 |
33 |
|
European Commission - EDF |
23,235 |
16,658 |
11,232 |
|
European Investment Bank - EDF |
2,820 |
2,820 |
2,820 |
|
GAVI Alliance |
3,000 |
4,000 |
4,000 |
|
International Atomic Energy Agency |
163 |
|
203 |
|
International Fund for Agricultural Development |
4,167 |
4,167 |
4,166 |
|
International Organisation for Migration |
1,201 |
1,317 |
1,621 |
|
International Trade Centre |
1,000 |
1,000 |
1,000 |
|
Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund |
|
2,000 |
500 |
|
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
|
|
500 |
|
OSCE Organisation for Security and Co-operation |
|
772 |
|
|
The Global Fund to Fight Aids T.B. & Malaria |
17,500 |
21,750 |
21,500 |
|
UN WOMEN |
2,000 |
2,000 |
2,000 |
|
UNAIDS |
2,500 |
2,500 |
2,500 |
|
United Nations Regular Budget |
5,861 |
6,175 |
6,620 |
|
United Nations Children's Fund |
7,200 |
7,700 |
7,700 |
|
United Nations Department of Peace Operations |
4,501 |
3,374 |
1,089 |
|
United Nations Development Coordination Office |
|
1,500 |
|
|
United Nations Development Programme |
7,841 |
8,250 |
7,750 |
|
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation |
380 |
422 |
578 |
|
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research |
27 |
27 |
36 |
|
United Nations Office of Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
5,500 |
4,750 |
5,500 |
|
United Nations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
10,500 |
11,500 |
12,500 |
|
United Nations Peacebuilding Fund |
2,800 |
|
4,250 |
|
United Nations Population Fund |
4,000 |
4,500 |
4,500 |
|
United Nations Volunteers |
1,100 |
|
|
|
UN-Multi Partner Trust Fund Office |
|
500 |
1,400 |
|
UNRWA |
|
12,000 |
20,000 |
|
World Health Organisation |
4,500 |
3,000 |
2,000 |
|
World Trade Organisation Advisory Law Centre |
350 |
400 |
400 |
|
Grand Total |
128,339 |
143,890 |
145,798 |
218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide the number of instances in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 in which funding provided under Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme was subject to financial correction, recovery, suspension, withholding, or clawback arising from audit findings, evaluation findings, expenditure verification, or ineligible expenditure determinations, excluding fraud cases already reported separately; and to provide the total monetary value involved in each year. [15711/26]
View answer219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department maintains a central register of recoveries, suspensions, withheld payments, financial corrections, and clawbacks across all Official Development Assistance schemes; if so, when the register was last updated; and whether she will publish an annual summary showing counts and values by scheme for 2022, 2023 and 2024. [15712/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together.
The Government's international development programme, Irish Aid, focuses on supporting countries and communities most in need, including those living in extreme poverty, those highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and populations affected by conflict.
Ireland’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) comprises funding for programmes delivered through Irish Aid under Vote 27 of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; contributions from other Government Departments toward international development; Ireland’s share of the EU Development Cooperation Budget; and eligible first-year supports for refugees in Ireland. In 2024, the Vote 27 outturn was €771.3 million out of a total ODA expenditure of €2.35 billion. The corresponding Vote 27 figures were €733.5 million in 2023 and €636.7 million in 2022.
For the period 2022–2024, the total value of funding recovered under Vote 27 was €1,902,957 in 2022; €734,407 in 2023; and €1,281,475 in 2024. The number of instances is not quantified, as refunds may appear as single or multiple entries within the Department of Foreign Affairs financial systems. These recovered amounts primarily relate to programmatic adjustments arising from changes in programme implementation contexts. Where feasible, recovered funding is reassigned within the overall development programme for the relevant year.
The Department does not maintain a central register of suspensions, withheld payments, financial corrections, or clawbacks. However, statistics relating to suspected and alleged fraud are published online by the Department. For the period up to 31 December 2024, they can be accessed at: assets.ireland.ie/documents/Fraud_Report_to_Irish_Aid_Website_DCAD_2021_-_2024_as_at_31.12.2024.pdf.
In accordance with the Department’s Counter-Fraud Policy and the terms and conditions of grant agreements, all funding partners are required to report any instances or suspicions of fraud immediately. Partners must also provide ongoing updates to the Department on all investigations into potential fraud.
220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in respect of Official Development Assistance reported as part of Ireland’s national contribution to the European Union development cooperation budget, to set out for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 the proportion of Ireland’s national contribution categorised as ODA-eligible, the Department unit responsible for that calculation, and the documents or data sources used to support the figure reported to the OECD Development Assistance Committee. [15713/26]
View answerIreland’s share of the EU Development Budget constitutes a significant component of Ireland’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). The EU and its member States provide some 42% of global ODA. We work to ensure that EU development cooperation supports communities most in need, including those experiencing extreme poverty, populations highly vulnerable to climate-related impacts, and those affected by conflict.
National contributions from member States are an integral requirement of EU membership. Ireland’s share of ODA financed through the EU Budget is calculated by the European Commission on the basis of Ireland’s percentage contribution to the overall EU Budget. Each June, the Commission issues a detailed breakdown of ODA disbursements made from the EU Budget in the preceding year, indicating the amount attributable to each Member State for ODA-reporting purposes. Member States subsequently report these figures to the OECD Development Assistance Committee. The amount attributable to Ireland is also included in our Annual Report on our international development cooperation programme.
In 2022, Ireland’s share of EU-funded ODA amounted to €325.2 million, in 2023, €346.5 million, and in 2024, €446.8 million.
221. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm receipt of a letter from a cross-party group of parliamentarians from Ireland and Britain in relation to the situation in Palestine; the reason no response has been given; and her plans to respond to the proposals set out in the letter. [15742/26]
View answerI confirm receipt of the letter referred to by the Deputy in relation to the situation in Palestine. I assure the Deputy that I attach great importance to correspondence received from elected representatives. The letter raised a number of important and complex questions and I confirm that a substantive response has now issued.
The Deputy will be aware that there have been a number of significant relevant developments since the letter was received in late December. The situation in Palestine and the wider Middle East has been consistently at the centre of my work as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Last month, I visited Egypt and Jordan as part of my ongoing efforts to engage with key partners in the region. In the course of my visit, I travelled to the Rafah Crossing to assess the ongoing response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In addition, I hosted the eighth meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State solution in Croke Park on 28 January, which brought together special envoys, senior officials and diplomats from over 50 countries, including the United Kingdom, and international organisations. The meeting shared Ireland’s experience of a successful peace process in Northern Ireland as part of ongoing efforts in support of the two-State solution.
There is intensive ongoing cooperation with like-minded partners on the situation in Palestine. In December, I spoke by phone with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper, on a range of issues including the situation in Gaza. My officials engage regularly with their British counterparts on the Middle East.
I regularly raise the situation in Palestine with my EU colleagues including at meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council, most recently on 23 February. I met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine, Varsen Aghabekian, and with the Commissioner General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, in the margins of the Munich Security Conference on 13-14 February.
Ireland will continue to use all the tools at its disposal – political, legal, diplomatic and humanitarian – to support the Palestinian people to achieve self-determination through the two-State solution. This is the only way to establish lasting peace and security for Israel and Palestine and the wider region.
222. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeline for the relocation of the Cork passport office; the overall cost of this relocation process, including the terms of the lease; the fit-out costs and other related costs such as professional fees; and the amount spent to date on the project. [15775/26]
View answerThe Office of Public Works is responsible for the issues relating to the relocation of the Passport Office in Cork to which the Deputy refers.
223. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on an application for a passport (details supplied). [15783/26]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008 ("the Act). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and practices that are applied by the Passport Service in the issuing of passports.
First-time applications are the most complex to process as they are, in essence, a verification of Irish citizenship. As such, a rigorous process is in place to validate the identity of applicants and to confirm their citizenship status.
The processing time for a first time passport application is 20 working days. This turnaround time applies to fully complete and correct applications, and begins from the date that supporting documents are received by the Passport Service, not the date the online application is made. Applications that are incorrect or incomplete will take longer to process.
Since 2022, the Passport Service has operated a document management system whereby incomplete applications that require further supporting documents are prioritised once the additional documents are received by the Passport Service. These applications are then processed within 15 working days.
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents for this application were received on the 19th January 2026. Additional supporting documents were received on 19th February. Therefore, this application is within the turnaround time and has not yet reached its issue by date.
224. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if an application for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16154/26]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008 ("the Act). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and practices that are applied by the Passport Service in the issuing of passports.
First-time applications are the most complex to process as they are, in essence, a verification of Irish citizenship. As such, a rigorous process is in place to validate the identity of applicants and to confirm their citizenship status.
The processing time for a first time passport application is 20 working days. This turnaround time applies to fully complete and correct applications, and begins from the date that supporting documents are received by the Passport Service, not the date the online application is made. Applications that are incorrect or incomplete will take longer to process.
Since 2022, the Passport Service has operated a document management system whereby incomplete applications that require further supporting documents are prioritised once the additional documents are received by the Passport Service. These applications are then processed within 15 working days.
With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents for both applications were received on the 23rd January 2026. Additional supporting documents were received on the 19th and 20th February, respectively.
Therefore, both applications are within the turnaround time and have not yet reached their issue by date.
