Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge what the Deputy said about the Irish response to this disaster. We were one of the first countries to respond officially and I agree with him about the generous response last Sunday in churches and the generous response of the NGOs. On the basis of the pledges announced to date, our contribution currently stands as one of the highest provided by a bilateral donor. On Sunday, 10 November the Government announced emergency funding from Ireland of €1 million towards the relief effort. A week later, as the magnitude of this disaster became apparent, this sum was increased to €2.25 million. A separate dispatch of more than 100 tonnes of essential shelter items for distribution to families worst affected by the disaster to the value of €510,000 was also authorised. Ireland's airlift of these relief items was among the first to be delivered to the Philippines, arriving in Cebu on Wednesday, 13 November.

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