Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The spread of the Ebola virus in west Africa continues to present a significant challenge to the international community. We have an obligation to strengthen our collective response in order that the necessary skilled personnel and medical facilities are funded, mobilised and deployed to west Africa to deal with the crisis.

I am aware of the comments to which the Deputy refers and I agree that all outstanding funding pledges must be met, quickly and in full. There is a moral obligation on donors to do so. It is only by tackling the Ebola virus in west Africa that we can ensure its spread will be arrested and lives saved. Ireland has been playing its part, however, through the work locally of our embassy in Sierra Leone and significant financial support for the Ebola response. The European Union and its member states have committed €1.1 billion to the Ebola response. Ireland will provide more than €17 million this year, directly and through non-governmental organisations, to the countries in west Africa most affected by the crisis. Some €10 million is being provided through our annual development programmes in our partner countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia. This support is focused particularly on strengthening their national health systems. We have also provided more than €4 million in recent months specifically for Ebola treatment facilities and work on contact tracing, community mobilisation and child nutrition programmes, among other activities.

Ireland has a strong reputation for acting on its pledges and I confirm that all of our announced funding has been delivered. In recent days, the Minister and I announced an additional grant of €221,000 for the supply of essential food and non-food items to families in Sierra Leone affected by local quarantine restrictions. This funding will be disbursed without delay.

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