Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

I acknowledge Deputy Costello's interest in this issue for some time. Obviously I am anxious to bring it to fruition. He has outlined the reasons such a humanitarian hub should be located in Shannon.

It is an unfortunate fact that the frequency and impact of natural and other disasters has increased dramatically in recent years. From the Asian tsunami of 2004 to the earthquake in Haiti last year to the ongoing crisis in the Horn of Africa, the international community is called upon more and more frequently to provide emergency assistance. The Government, through Irish Aid, has over a period of years developed a comprehensive mechanism for responding to humanitarian crises. We work closely with the United Nations, with NGOs such as Concern, Trócaire and the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies in assessing how Ireland can best contribute to alleviating the suffering of crisis victims. Often it is local organisations which provide the most immediate, life saving help and Irish Aid works with these groups to ensure they have the wherewithal to respond.

The nature of humanitarian emergencies can vary widely from long-standing and protracted conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Somalia and elsewhere to drought, floods and earthquakes. Each of these requires a different type of response tailored to the particular context and to the needs of the beneficiary population.

In the case of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and other sudden-onset emergencies, agencies are required to respond immediately in order to save lives and provide assistance and support to people who may have lost everything. It was to address this need that Irish Aid developed its rapid response initiative which includes the Irish Aid Rapid Response Corp and our humanitarian stockpiles which we use to provide emergency shelter and sanitation in situations such as the Haiti earthquake or last year's flooding in Pakistan.

The rapid response corps is a register of highly qualified and experienced volunteers who can be deployed to work with humanitarian agencies in responding to a crisis situation. Experience from the Asian tsunami of 2004 and subsequently has shown that sending inexperienced and unqualified volunteers can hinder the effectiveness of relief operations.

Consequently, Irish Aid has worked with its partners to identify the type of skills required during an emergency and carries out an annual recruitment process for volunteers. We have 195 people within the corps, 21 of whom are serving in the Horn of Africa with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies. We also deploy our own personnel to crisis situations.

The other main element of the rapid response initiative, our humanitarian stockpiles, provides an important tool for responding to the immediate needs of crisis victims and has proven its worth in a diverse series of operations.

Ireland is one of the users of the UN humanitarian response depot system, which is run by the World Food Programme and has stockpiles located in or close to regions which are prone to humanitarian emergencies. These depots are in Accra, Ghana; Dubai; Subang, Malaysia; Panama and at the UN's logistics headquarters in Brindisi, Italy and they are used by more than 40 governments or humanitarian agencies.

This UN system carries on Ireland's behalf a range of materials in these depots, including blankets, water tanks, kitchen sets and other items intended to provide a basic survival infrastructure for people who have lost everything in a crisis. On average Irish Aid carries out six to eight airlifts per year and in 2010, for example, we transported 130 tonnes of supplies to Haiti to assist with the post-earthquake response. Logistics surrounding these flights are arranged and managed by the UN.

It is in the context of this existing international humanitarian logistics and transport system which the Deputy will be aware of that proposals for the development of a hub at Shannon are being considered and are, as he said, included in the programme for Government.

I have met airport management and others involved in developing the proposal on a number of occasions in recent months, as have officials managing the rapid response initiative. That also included the Shannon Airport Authority and a number of other interests in the region.

It is clear there is considerable potential for the development of Shannon as an international logistics facility, as evidenced by the interest shown by international private sector companies.

The key is to identify how Shannon can add to or bring something new to the existing international system and talks and thinking on this are ongoing, with the Government's support.

Given the likelihood that the incidence of humanitarian crisis will only increase further it is incumbent on the international community to ensure it has the necessary means to respond in an efficient and effective way. Ireland will play its part in that effort. I assure the Deputy we have ongoing discussions in this area with a view to identifying how Shannon can fit into the overall system.

See this speech in context