Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. I join the Deputy in expressing my solidarity with the people of Tonga. They have experienced an extraordinary event, a volcanic eruption and a tsunami, which has wrought devastation on that small island state. As the Deputy is aware, Ireland is a member of the international community. As a member of the UN Security Council, we have a particularly special relationship with small island developing states, including Tonga, which were very supportive of us on a number of occasions in the past. We are liaising with the United Nations, with the EU, as well as with our friends in New Zealand, to see if we can help. We are very keen to assist the Tongan people if we can.

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