Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I thank the Members who contributed to the debate on this matter. I assure them that I will convey to the Government of Japan the unanimous sympathy, concern and solidarity that has been expressed in the House in respect of the Japanese people and the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves.

I thank Deputy Kitt for his good wishes and for what I interpret as his advice that I perhaps need to be somewhat more forthcoming in singing the praises of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Such praise is deserved because the Department responded both quickly and appropriately to the crisis that has arisen. A crisis centre was established in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami and this enabled Irish people who were concerned about their relatives in Japan to make contact, to establish the whereabouts of the latter and to obtain advice. The embassy in Tokyo responded quite rapidly in the context of contacting Irish citizens who are living in Japan. A number of the staff travelled to the affected area in order to bring back people who were stranded there. The embassy is continuing to provide assistance to these individuals.

Ireland was one of the first countries to respond to this disaster by offering aid and assistance to the people of Japan. We have now made a contribution of €1 million to the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross. We are continuing to monitor the position in respect of the incident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. As the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government indicated, we are already learning lessons from what has happened in Japan in this regard. In that context, I was particularly heartened by the contribution of Deputy Finian McGrath, who chose not to repeat in the House the baseless criticisms attributed to him in some weekend editions of the newspapers.

We remain in close contact with the Japanese authorities regarding how best we might assist. We are working to identify a partner in Japan to distribute emergency supplies from this country, including 18,000 blankets. The Japanese Government has asked the EU to restrict assistance to funding for the International Society of the Red Cross and to the emergency supplies to which I refer. The European Council will discuss the situation in Japan - including the EU's response to the crisis and the part to be played by the Irish airlift therein - at its meeting to be held in the coming days.

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn referred to an issue that was raised in the past - and in a previous capacity - by the Ceann Comhairle, namely, the possibility of establishing a citizens corps. Irish Aid operates two corps of highly-skilled volunteers who are deployed to humanitarian crises. These individuals include engineers, logisticians and others who possess the skills most required in emergency situations. These corps were developed in co-operation with the UN and other humanitarian agencies. At present, the two corps comprise 155 members.

We have been provided with a telling reminder of the concerns that exist in respect of nuclear energy, nuclear waste, etc. The Government will pursue the issues that have arisen in this regard. We must focus on the fact that the crisis in Japan is ongoing. As Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan stated, coverage of the crisis has been relegated to the inner pages of newspapers. We will, however, continue to work to provide assistance in respect of the crisis. We will also continue to monitor the position in respect of the nuclear issue, particularly in the context of the concerns that exist. In addition, we will ensure that assistance is provided to those Irish citizens in Japan who need it.

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