Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

Most of the funding to the Horn of Africa is allocated directly to non-governmental or United Nations organisations. Any money allocated directly to governments, largely the Governments of Uganda and Ethiopia, is directly programmed for specific areas and is not paid into a central government fund. While I appreciate that bore holes and access to water are crucial, practice has shown that the best way to deploy people is through the NGOs, given the considerable experience they have acquired in these areas, or the rapid response corps. As I indicated, 11 members of the rapid response corps are in the Horn of Africa and a number of others are waiting to travel. I will raise the point made by the Deputy in my discussions with NGOs to ascertain if it is possible to deploy more people. It is important, however, to continue to act in an organised and effective manner. As the Deputy will be aware, Somalia is a particularly dangerous country and we must ensure people are safe.

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