THE OIREACHTAS overseas development sub-committee will begin a fresh series of hearings on how taxpayers’ money is spent abroad, according to its chairman John Deasy of Fine Gael.
The first hearing in April will focus on Mozambique, one of Irish Aid’s nine programme countries.
Mr Deasy recently said the Government was displaying “ambiguity” about its continued commitment to overseas development aid and predicted further cuts in the budget. “There’s a danger that you cut programmes without really understanding the importance and effect they are having on people’s lives,” he said.
“It is my strongly held belief that the general public in Ireland is not completely sure as to what the Irish Aid budget is being used for and what it achieves,” he said.
