Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

We have had many discussions with the members' colleagues in Irish Aid on this issue. Unfortunately, on previous occasions, for example, in our work in Somalia, we had to turn down offers of assistance. It was not a reflection on Irish Aid as a donor, it was more of a policy decision. As we are primarily funded by private donors, 85% of our funding comes from private donors, which gives us a level of flexibility and comfort to adhere to these principles, particularly in conflict settings.

The scale of our operations is very narrow. We are supplying a network of doctors. I know the representatives of the group mentioned and spoke to them many months ago to collaborate with them on the doctors with whom they were working in Syria. We have a network of individuals, locals on the ground, on all sides whom we are supplying with relevant medical supplies.

For us, this is not necessarily an issue about capacity and having adequate medical supplies, it is more a case of being able to ensure we can continue to get such supplies into the country, particularly as winter is approaching, and transport them to where they are needed. We had four hospitals up to one week ago, but one of them had to be shut down because circumstances had become too dangerous. The situation was very precarious and we were obliged to remove one of our teams. However, we are continually trying to go to new areas such as the town in eastern Syria to which I refer in order to assess the situation and discover whether it would be feasible for us to set up temporary hospitals.