Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the recent earthquake in Baluchistan in Pakistan; the assistance that has been offered to those affected by the earthquake by Ireland, both financial or in terms of personnel; and if it is planned that there will be an EU sponsored deal to assist. [38371/08]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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An earthquake of 6.4 magnitude hit Balochistan province in south-western Pakistan on Wednesday, 29 October. The epicentre of the quake was in the Chiltan Mountains, some 80 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital Quetta. The Government of Pakistan has confirmed 150 fatalities, with hundreds more injured and thousands left homeless.

The Pakistani authorities have made arrangements for the provision of relief items to the affected population. Pakistan has, unfortunately, extensive experience in responding to earthquakes and, to date, has not requested international assistance in responding to the earthquake in Balochistan.

UN agencies already based in Pakistan, such as the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation, are providing support and the European Commission has said that it stands ready to provide humanitarian assistance, if requested. Ireland will continue to monitor the situation in Balochistan closely and will respond appropriately should the need arise.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the funding allocated from the Irish Aid budget in order to help alleviate the recent humanitarian crisis in Burma. [38483/08]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Cyclone Nargis was the worst recorded natural disaster ever to hit Burma. It struck the country on 2 and 3 May 2008 with winds up to 200 kph, sweeping through the Irrawaddy delta region and the country's main city, Yangon. It is estimated that 140,000 people were killed or remain missing as a result of the cyclone, with approximately 2.4 million people affected.

Over €1.3 million in humanitarian funding was provided by Irish Aid to assist those affected by Cyclone Nargis. This funding was provided primarily to NGO partners with existing programmes or partnerships in Burma, such as Trócaire, World Vision and Save the Children. Funding was also provided to the World Food Programme (WFP) for logistics support to humanitarian organisations, a particularly important and challenging area of work given the serious damage to infrastructure following the cyclone.

In addition, two separate shipments of essential relief items were provided from Ireland's supplies pre-positioned at the UN's humanitarian response depot in Brindisi, Italy and at the Curragh Camp in Ireland in May and June 2008. The total value, including transportation, of the essential supplies amounted to approximately €580,000.

The UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) — to which Ireland is the sixth largest contributor — was also critical in responding to the most urgent needs of those affected by Cyclone Nargis. An initial tranche of funding was approved within one day of receipt of the grant request, proving the value of the CERF in distributing assistance rapidly and effectively to those most in need following natural disasters.