Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the level of funding allocated to Pakistan in the aftermath of the earthquake which devastated large parts of that country for 2006; the manner in which such aid is being distributed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6832/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Within hours of the appalling disaster of 8 October 2005 in Pakistan, the Government pledged an initial €1 million for humanitarian relief assistance. As the scale of the catastrophe became clear, the Government quickly increased this amount to €10 million in support of relief and recovery efforts. This places Ireland as one of the highest donors per capita to this disaster. Some €8 million of this funding was disbursed in 2005 to UN agencies, the Red Cross family and Irish NGOs, such as Concern, GOAL, Trócaire, Oxfam Ireland, Plan Ireland and World Vision Ireland, which have been providing much-needed humanitarian assistance in the region. The remainder of the pledge will be carefully targeted to assist the recovery process.

Former Taoiseach, Mr. Reynolds, represented Ireland at a reconstruction conference convened by the Government of Pakistan in November. Mr. Reynolds presented the report of his findings to me following the conference.

I travelled to the affected region in December with my Dutch colleague. I met President Musharraf and Prime Minister Aziz, both of whom briefed me on the challenges facing the country. I also met the United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator for the relief effort, the Red Cross and Irish NGOs working in the region. I saw at first hand the devastation caused by the earthquake and the logistical difficulties in the relief and recovery effort. I visited GOAL in Bagh district and saw its food distribution network in operation. I visited Concern, which has adapted its long-term programme there, to meet the relief needs in the camps and surrounding area.

My Department remains in close contact with the UN which, with the Government of Pakistan, is leading the relief effort. While there is some evidence of recovery, the delivery of emergency relief such as shelter, food, health services and the logistical support to deliver these services, continues to be a priority. We are conscious of the continuing challenges facing the relief effort and the need to provide sustained and substantial relief into the spring. Ireland will continue to play its part in the relief and recovery process.