Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 305: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the personnel involved in the Emergency Response Unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25427/07]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Rapid Response Corps is one element of the Rapid Response Initiative, which is itself a key component of the Government's White Paper on Irish Aid of September 2006. The overall aim is to save lives by a more effective response to humanitarian crises.

The Rapid Response Corps is a roster of highly-skilled individuals who can deploy, on a voluntary basis, at short notice to emergency situations.

The campaign to recruit members to this roster was launched in February 2007 and, following a rigorous selection and interview process, 64 people were successful. Of those, 52 are now ready to deploy if requested, having completed their pre-departure training and preparation.

Members of the Corps are individual volunteers with humanitarian, logistics, information technology, engineering, environmental, public information and public health skills, all of which are needed internationally to address humanitarian crises. They are on standby to deploy to Ireland's key humanitarian partner agencies at short notice and for periods of approximately three months to assist in their humanitarian response efforts.

The members of the Corps range in age from 26 to 65. More than half are public sector workers, with the remainder variously private sector employees, self employed, mature students or retired. Several have military experience, with one serving member of the Permanent Defence Forces. All are willing and enthusiastic volunteers with a great depth, breadth and range of experience.