Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the comments of Ms. Birte Hald, head of operations for the International Federation of the Red Cross, who has stated that most of the EU aid pledged to fight Ebola has yet to materialise on the ground; if he will confirm that all promised Irish assistance to fight Ebola has been paid and is reaching those on the ground; and if he will discuss this issue with his European counterparts. [45231/14]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Last week, the European Commission announced an additional €29 million in aid, bringing total EU anti-Ebola funding to €373 million. Member states have pledged millions more in funding and the total EU pledge, other than pledges to provide equipment and supplies, now stands at more than €1 billion. I tabled this question after the head of operations of the International Red Cross stated that Ebola is flaring up as aid agencies are struggling to keep staff on the ground and noted that EU pledges and donations have yet to appear. Will the Minister of State confirm that all promised Irish assistance to fight Ebola is reaching those on the ground or is part of a structured payment programme? Will he raise this issue with his European counterparts to ensure they live up to all their commitments?

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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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.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State's reply. My other question concerned the Minister of State's European counterparts. Will he raise the issue with them, given the fact they have pledged this money but it does not seem to be appearing? Is the Minister of State surprised the Red Cross head of operations has said only €2 million of the EU's €1.1 billion has gone to that organisation? There were reports yesterday that burial workers in Sierra Leone's third city dumped dead bodies in the street as a protest over not being paid in the past seven weeks. The Ebola virus has now killed over 5,500 people despite the huge sum of money that has been pledged. If the burial workers, who are a key component in terms of stopping this virus, are not being paid, this is a difficulty, particularly in Sierra Leone, which has seen an increase in infections in recent weeks.

Is any of Ireland's assistance going towards the staving off of possible famine and food shortages, given we are hearing that crops are not being planted? The agricultural workforce in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have been badly hit by the outbreak, and while hunger has already been an issue in these countries, it could be devastating in the coming months.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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With regard to the EU response, there will be a further discussion at the December meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, at which the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, will be present, on that very issue of providing an update on funding and how it is being disbursed from an EU perspective. The EU Ebola co-ordinator will present further recommendations at that time.

I wish to reassure the Deputy that, aside from the investment we are making in regard to assisting the health systems, the Irish response is part of the process. There is also the danger of the secondary humanitarian crisis that follows an outbreak of this nature, where there is already a weak health system. I visited Sierra Leone between 1 and 4 October and I am delighted to say we have a very strong embassy team in Freetown, headed by ambassador Sinead Walsh.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you. I will come back to the Minister of State.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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There are reports the Red Cross and MSF have complained that the majority of the volunteers have resigned. Many of the workers say they have been badly treated when returning to their home countries. We should use this opportunity to commend the Government of Cuba, a small country like ours, which has sent 165 people to Sierra Leone to help on the front line. The small nation has 50,000 Cuban-trained health workers in 66 countries. Sadly, one of its doctors has recently contracted the Ebola virus. We should use this opportunity to congratulate those countries, like Cuba, that have sent workers. Is the Minister of State concerned about this report of volunteers resigning? Is there anything more he believes the international community can do to encourage volunteers. We spoke about a similar programme for Ireland.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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To pick up on the point about the Irish response, which is where we need to focus, the UN now has a mission on the ground which is co-ordinating the effort in the three most affected countries. The effectiveness of that response is as a result of an Irish influence on the ground because we are one of the few countries in the world that has a bilateral relationship with Sierra Leone - in other words, we have an embassy there. I would acknowledge the role of Irish workers, including our embassy staff, working on the ground with our agencies, such as GOAL and Concern. There are Irish workers on the ground who are having a major impact. We acknowledge the role of the Cubans and every other nation state for the workers they have sent but Irish workers are not only influencing at Government level, they are also influencing at United Nations level and they are an integral part of the response. Slowly but surely that impact is being felt in that we are getting ahead of it. It is important to note that the Irish taxpayers moneys being disbursed are staving off a humanitarian crisis but also buttressing existing health systems on the ground.