Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, thank Mr. Kelly for his presentation. It is difficult to comprehend the scale of this disaster. I pay tribute to the rapid response of Ireland as a small country. Like previous speakers, I, too, would be concerned about the quickness of some of our larger European partners and other countries worldwide in terms of response and contribution. Ireland can be proud of its being the seventh largest contributor per head of population.

I am aware of the amount provide by the Irish Government through Irish Aid. Do the witnesses have information on how much Irish people would be likely to contribute through the various aid agencies? That information would be important and significant. While obviously we have reputable agencies working on the ground and doing tremendous work people want to know that those in distress are able to access the aid. The impression thus far is that some people have not yet been reached, in terms of aid, owing to transport difficulties. I heard this morning that the availability of fuel, which is in scarce supply, will be a major challenge. How is that issue likely to be addressed?

From a learning point of view, from where are the emergency items accessed in an emergency? Is there a stock of these somewhere? I would welcome if the witnesses could elaborate on how an emergency situation such as this is handled on the ground. We would like the message to go out from this committee that we would like the Government to do everything possible, and the Irish people to be as generous as always, to assist in this situation. It is incumbent on all of us to help the most vulnerable people in their hour of crisis. It is worrying that a decision may have to be taken on whether to abandon the people displaced in Syria because of the crisis in the Philippines or to continue to help both vulnerable communities.