Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if assistance has been provided to Chile following the recent earthquake; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13232/10]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide details of any proposals, at national and or EU level, to offer support to the afflicted following the recent earthquake in Chile. [13343/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 293: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the international community was able to offer assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake in Chile. [13526/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 122 and 293 together.

On 27 February, an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off the Chilean coast, just 90 kilometres from Concepción, Chile's second largest city. The earthquake was followed by a destructive tsunami and several serious aftershocks were also registered. According to the Chilean authorities, the earthquake resulted in more than 400 fatalities, 200,000 houses damaged beyond repair and some 2 million people affected.

Ireland's Ambassador to Chile, Ms Philomena Murnaghan, represented Ireland at the recent inauguration of the new Chilean President, Mr. Sebastián Piñera. She reiterated the condolences of the President and Government at the terrible loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. She also expressed our solidarity with the people of Chile, with whom Ireland shares historical ties.

Chile has a strong emergency preparedness and response capacity, and the Chilean authorities have effectively led the earthquake response from the outset. The Chilean people have also demonstrated great generosity in raising funds to assist those affected by the earthquake. For example, one Telethon event raised some US$60 million.

Given the capacity and resources available to the Chilean Government, the United Nations has not launched an international funding appeal in response to this crisis. The Government does not, therefore, propose to provide direct financial assistance to Chile. The UN Secretary General has, however, announced an allocation of US$10 million from the UN Central Emergency Fund. This Fund was established in 2006 to provide a pool of funding from which the UN could draw without delay during humanitarian emergencies. Ireland has provided a total of €73 million to the Fund since 2006.

The EU deployed a civil protection team to Chile in the days immediately after the earthquake and a number of EU Member States have provided specialised in-kind assistance, such as water purification units and medical equipment. The European Commission has also announced an emergency allocation to Chile of up to €3 million, following a recent visit to the country by the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva. Commissioner Georgieva briefed EU Foreign Ministers on her visit at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 22 March.