Mr. Peter Power:

The Senator certainly did get good value. I will take Senator Walsh's questions first. I thank the Senator for his kind comments about UNICEF; they are much appreciated by us. The Senator asked if relief is getting into the outlying areas. I believe that is happening now but it is late. Whether that should be criticised I cannot say because of all the challenges we discussed and which I will not repeat. However, the size of the area being destroyed beggars belief. It is vast and it must cater for 11 million people, three times the population of Ireland, over an archipelago of islands in a remote area.

To cater for 11 million people - three times the population of Ireland - over an archipelago of islands in a remote area, with all the infrastructure down, makes for a very difficult logistical and humanitarian operation.

Regarding the funding from the Government of €1.2 million, I would say, speaking from experience, that this represents an initial response. This committee, I am sure, will be the first to hold the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, to account, and rightly so, if it were found that he sanctioned the payment of moneys without having appropriate proposals in front of him to ensure those moneys would be allocated for a specific project which would deliver real results by way of organisations that actually have the capacity to deliver. As an initial response and looked at in proportion to the contributions of other countries, it was a relatively strong response from the Government. As the Chairman mentioned, several much larger countries gave less than we did. I am certain that the Tánaiste and the Minister of State will be providing additional resources to organisations. As I said, I have made a formal call for assistance for UNICEF's efforts in the Philippines, which are currently underfunded. What Irish Aid is doing, which is very useful, is putting our highly respected rapid response corps at the disposal of the international aid community. That will bring in the expertise needed to set up specialist infrastructure and assist the aid effort in an effective way. I know from briefing departmental officials this week that there are 15 people available immediately to deploy into the region as and when they are requested by the organisations working there.

Regarding the projected cost of the reconstruction effort, I cannot give an estimate. In Senator Walsh's absence I cited the final report of the special adviser to the UN Secretary General on the Haiti disaster, which estimated the total damage and loss caused by the earthquake as amounting to $7.8 billion, comprising $4.3 billion in physical damage and $3.5 billion in economic loss. Some 105,000 dwellings were completely destroyed in Haiti. Already in the Philippines, 243,000 dwellings have been destroyed. It will take a great deal of funding to rectify damage on that scale.

In terms of how the reconstruction effort should be organised, we had a brief discussion on that before the Senator's arrival. It is important that we heed the lessons of Banda Aceh. The houses that are reconstructed in the Philippines must be typhoon-proof; that is an absolute prerequisite and it will cost a great deal of money. The existing dwellings were entirely inadequate. The area has suffered typhoons year in and year out, but this was extraordinary natural phenomenon that destroyed everything in its path. One has to see it to believe it.

The Senator asked about law and order in the Za'atari refugee camp. When I was on site in the early stages of the development of that facility, we had to leave by 4 p.m. every day because the daily riot would start at about that time. There certainly were law and order issues. People were very frustrated and upset by the conditions in which they found themselves. As Deputy Neville observed, many of the refugees came from relatively affluent, professional backgrounds and were accustomed to good accommodations. Suddenly, because of where they happened to live, such as Daraa in southern Syria, they ended up living in a tent.

Senator Rónán Mullen raised an important question, which is whether, in a few weeks time, the media will still be focusing on this issue. The reality is that they probably will not, but the crisis will absolutely still be there. UNICEF, certainly, will be in the region for years to come, such are the challenges facing children there. The reconstruction effort will, if it can ever be done successfully, take a very long time.

The Senator asked about national solidarity. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, called last week for a global response, and we have spoken about internationally co-ordinated responses. That does not mean, however, that Ireland cannot or should not show a lead on the issue. There are long-rooted connections between the people of Ireland and the people of the Philippines. Many members of the religious community here travelled to that country over many decades, while large numbers of young Filipinos have come here seeking work. That should be the basis of a national solidarity on this issue and it is an effort that should be led by political leaders. This committee, which has shown a strong interest in humanitarian affairs, has an important role to play in that regard. The people of Ireland will be willing participants should the Government commit to a strong national effort to help people in the area.

Social media have an important part to play in raising awareness of the plight of people and communities affected by this disaster. Young people to whom I have spoken are hugely affected by the suffering of their counterparts in other parts of the world. Earlier today I briefed our UNICEF Ireland ambassadors, all of whom are very adept at social media and use their high-profile status to communicate with many thousands of people via a single tweet or Facebook posting. That gets the message out very effectively.

Senator Mullen also asked about the degree of international willingness to resolve the crisis in Syria. There is unquestionably a stalemate both inside Syria and among the international community. UNICEF does not generally comment on political matters; we are a humanitarian development organisation. I hope the Senator understands why I will refrain from answering that part of his question other than to say that the heads of the major UN agencies - including Anthony Lake of the United Nations Children's Fund, UN Under-Secretary General Valerie Amos, and the High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres - have issued a joint appeal to the world's political leaders to come together to solve the problem. We are very supportive of the Geneva II process as part of the strategy to break the logjam in Syria.

The Senator's final question related to the response from the European Union. When I visited the Za'atari camp I saw a great deal of evidence of the funding provided by the European Community Humanitarian Office. I confess, however, that I do not know much about the willingness or otherwise of European countries to take in Syrian refugees. Sadly, significant numbers of those coming via north Africa into southern Italy are dying in the process. I can only observe that nobody fleeing a conflict of this nature in search of a better life should meet that fate.