Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the final report written by a person (details supplied) on foot of their most recent visits to the region affected by the Asian tsunami; the situation which pertains in that area; the help which Ireland continues to offer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26857/05]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the level of assistance being given to the countries affected by the December 2004 tsunami; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26899/05]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 113 together.

The combined contributions from official and private source s in responding to the tsunami catastrophe have placed Ireland among the most generous per capita donor nations worldwide.

Within a few hours of the onset of the tsunami, the Government pledged €1 million in emergency assistance and this amount was quickly doubled as the death toll rose. When the full scale of the disaster became evident, the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and I jointly announced that our funding would rise to €10 million. This pledge was doubled to €20 million when my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, visited the region with personnel from Concern, Goal, the Irish Red Cross and Trócaire in January. The additional funding was designed to address the longer-term recovery and reconstruction challenges.

Within a few months of the tsunami tragedy, over 90% of our pledge had been allocated to relief and recovery efforts. I believe that this achievement can be matched by very few donors and demonstrates the speed and flexibility of our response.

Assistance has been made available to non-governmental organisations, NGOs, UN agencies and the Red Cross. The programmes are in line with the national strategies for recovery that have been developed by the Governments of the affected countries. We have also assisted the Thailand tsunami victim identification process. A list of organisations and programmes supported by official Irish assistance is attached for information.

A special envoy was appointed for the tsunami-affected region with a mandate to report on the effectiveness of the aid effort. The envoy, former Minister of State and current chairman of the Advisory Board for Development Co-operation Ireland, Mr. Chris Flood, has made three visits to the region over a six-month period. During his visits, the envoy met with a wide range of organisations and individuals, including disaster-affected communities, NGOs, UN agencies and senior Government representatives. The envoy made his final trip to the region in July. His overall report is being prepared at the moment.

The process of recovery for such an extensively devastated area will take several years. Crucially, the international humanitarian community recognises that a key feature of that recovery process is that the affected communities will need to be more resistant to and better prepared for, any future crises. Ireland, through its overseas humanitarian and recovery programmes, remains closely engaged with ongoing developments in relation to the recovery process. We are in constant liaison with all stakeholders including our partners in the NGOs, UN and international agencies and are actively monitoring those programmes and initiatives that have been supported with Government funding. This engagement will be actively maintained, including through monitoring visits to the region.