An announcement of funding for the aid agency Goal is expected shortly, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Conor Lenihan told the Dáil.
Mr Lenihan said that the multi-annual programme scheme, Maps, was an Irish aid funding scheme which helped the larger Irish non-governmental organisations to strengthen their development programmes and planning through flexible and predictable funding.
"I am confident that we will be able to make an announcement regarding Goal shortly, subject to agreement being reached between the charity, on the one hand, and my officials and the consultants who evaluate the various proposals, on the other."
Mr Lenihan was replying to Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman Bernard Allen, who said he welcomed the the Minister's initiative in extending the length of the Maps programme, as it allowed the organisations in question to engage in longer-term planning and apply funding more effectively.
The Minister said that in some cases organisations received allocations at different times. Some organisations developed their programmes and had discussions with his officials earlier than others.
"I do not become deeply involved in these matters and officials generally submit proposals to be signed off. I signed off on three such proposals, but did not sign off on the self-help development international allocation. Discussions with Goal are ongoing." Mr Allen asked if the Minister was satisfied that the views of consultants were in line with the philosophy and mission statement of the department.
Mr Lenihan said that the department typically spent €50,000 or €60,000 on the consultants and contractors. "Consultants tend to be employed on a short-term basis . . . they are commissioned to assess and carry out proper due diligence on the Maps proposals from an independent perspective."
