Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of the 27 EU countries, only 21 deployed small medical teams and search and rescue teams to Türkiye in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. Ireland, unfortunately, sent nobody at all. I accept the fact we provided approximately €10 million, which was a good thing, but money is of little use to families who are caught beneath the rubble. It is a pity. We have the Civil Defence and the Reserve Defence Force. We have the rapid response corps in the Department of Foreign Affairs. The ultimate expression of solidarity is to put people and boots on the ground. Would the Taoiseach agree that this is an area for improvement? Will he agree to look at this matter over the coming weeks? We could place teams on standby to deploy to the next natural disaster abroad when it comes.

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