Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. It is welcome that the matter was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting; it should be on the agenda for forthcoming meetings for some time to come. The typhoon hit the Philippines one month after a major earthquake, measuring 7.2, which directly affected 350,000 people. This shows how disaster prone the country is, with two major disasters in a single year. Is the Tánaiste confident about the capacity of the United Nations to co-ordinate the relief efforts in an effective and timely manner? While it is welcome that there seems to have been a significant improvement in the relief efforts in recent days, it has been reported that up to 600,000 people have not yet been reached with food, which is a frightening prospect. It seems that those in very remote regions have not yet received direct assistance. We must remember that we are talking about very vulnerable people, including children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who are sick. I have tabled this question in order to highlight the need to ensure added impetus is given to the co-ordination of relief efforts by the United Nations and the international community.

See this speech in context