Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Ellacuría when I visited El Salvador in 1981, eight years before his murder. He, his five Jesuit colleagues, their housekeeper and her daughter were savagely murdered, principally because they had adopted the option for the poor and were organising in the poorest districts of El Salvador.

My question refers to the 20th anniversary of the killings, which was yesterday, and implies it would be a very good idea to respond generously to the loss of life and homes of some of the poorest people in EL Salvador as a result of Hurricane Ida. There have been mudslides previously in El Salvador, particularly along the border with Honduras. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs offered assistance on the last occasion and it would be worthwhile considering this again. The deputy director of the UN co-ordination mechanism was visiting Ireland and I raised the matter with her in respect of the organisation's meeting in New York.

The lowest estimate of the number of lives lost is 144. People's homes have been simply destroyed. There has been a significant displacement of the population. The Minister correctly identified that a number of Irish organisations, including Trócaire, which is represented by Sally O'Neill-Sanchez, are in a position to put a preparatory mechanism in place. It would be appropriate after the New York meeting that they would be considered for direct assistance to deal with this humanitarian tragedy.

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