Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

The budget line for this relief effort is from devoted emergency assistance resources. Of the funding allocated for relief in the wake of the St. Stephen's Day tsunami, €10 million came from the existing emergency fund and an additional €10 million was sanctioned by the Department of Finance, bringing the total contribution to €20 million. In this case, it will not be necessary to seek additional finance because money is available for this particular purpose. In general, a much more enhanced level of funding in the emergency and recovery fund will be required in future because we have seen how it has been stretched this year.

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