Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on further aid being made available to help the plight of those affected by the earthquake in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39906/05]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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It is now estimated that over 74,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake which struck south Asia, including Pakistan and India, on 8 October 2005. In particular, the earthquake severely affected the North West Frontier and Kashmir provinces of Pakistan. An estimated 3.5 million people have been left homeless by the disaster.

Within hours of the disaster, the Government pledged €1 million in humanitarian relief assistance. This funding was quickly increased to €5 million when the scale of the destruction became apparent, with funding swiftly disbursed to UN and other international agencies as well as NGOs for their life-saving emergency response on the ground.

This week, I have pledged a further €5 million to the relief and recovery effort. This brings to €10 million the funds that have been made available by the Government, and places Ireland as one of the highest donors per capita to this disaster. As of today, €3 million of this additional funding has already been released to Concern and Trócaire, as well as UN and other international agencies, including the International Red Cross movement. The balance of €2 million will be programmed in the new year as the needs of the affected communities are further assessed.

In this package, funding has been provided to deliver urgently needed temporary shelters, blankets, food, medical care and water and sanitation services to the affected populations. Because of the changing dynamics of this disaster and, in particular, the impact of the onset of winter, this humanitarian relief is still required and will be for some months to come.

I can assure the Deputy that I am monitoring the situation on the ground extremely carefully as it continues to evolve. I will continue to ensure that Irish assistance is delivered in a focused and effective manner.