Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 605: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the outcome of discussions he has had with the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, regarding a matter (details supplied); if he submitted information on the case to the Egyptian Minister; the progress on this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14806/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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During my visit to Egypt in February I raised this case with the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs. I emphasised the fact that this abduction is causing great distress to the child's family in Ireland and sought the assistance of the Minister to resolve this case in a speedy manner. In a follow-up to this meeting the Embassy in Cairo submitted a note to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry outlining the facts of the case.

The Embassy in Cairo has been assisting the family in relation to this case since last Summer. The family has engaged solicitors in Egypt and Dublin to pursue this case in the Egyptian courts. I understand that at present the solicitor advising the family in Egypt is awaiting documents from the family in Ireland and confirmation from them that they wish to retain his services so that he begin to progress matters in the Egyptian Courts.

Our Embassy in Cairo can follow-up on this matter with Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Justice is Egypt once the intentions of the family in relation to court proceedings in Egypt become clear.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 606: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the Palestinian people on the major humanitarian crisis in Gaza. [14848/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is deeply concerned at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The effects of the ongoing blockade were witnessed at first hand by my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD, during his humanitarian visit to Gaza in February of this year.

Since Minister Martin's visit the Gaza Power Plant has ceased operation due to a lack of fuel. This will further affect the population's access to vital services, including water supplies, and may also result in the suspension of work in vital sectors such as health, sanitation and education.

These developments can only worsen the situation of the local population, 60 per cent of whom are food insecure, with 20,000 displaced from their homes as a result of last year's conflict.

The Government has responded to the ongoing crisis by more than doubling our support for the Palestinian people through our official overseas development programme, Irish Aid. We allocated a total of €10.3 million in 2009, including emergency funding of €1.5 million in response to the humanitarian consequences of the Operation Cast Lead early last year. This response underlies our continuing commitment to meeting the emergency needs of the Palestinian people as we have done of many years.

Ireland has also provided €17.7 million in funding since 2005 to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), the largest single recipient of our support for the Palestinian people. Ireland recently announced a three year commitment to UNRWA's General Fund of €12 million. 2009 was a particularly difficult year for UNRWA in Gaza, where approximately 70 per cent of the total population of 1.5 million are refugees.

Other agencies operating in Gaza which receive Irish funding include the Humanitarian Response Fund for the Palestinian People which is administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). The Humanitarian Response Fund for the Palestinian People is used to support the emergency response operations of NGOs and UN agencies. It has assisted a variety of projects in Gaza in the aftermath of last year's Israeli military action, ranging from school rehabilitation, to mine clearance, to the repair of fishing boats. Irish Aid provided support of €500,000 to the Fund in 2009. PCHR, which is based in Gaza City, is one of eight Palestinian and Israeli civil society organisations funded by Ireland through our Human Rights and Democratisation funding scheme. The Centre, considered the leading human rights organisation in Gaza, is dedicated to protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law and upholding democratic principles in the Palestinian Territories.

The Government is closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and will continue to provide support to its people in the face of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.