Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the support being provided by the EU to assist Haiti following the recent cholera outbreak; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43318/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the matter of delivery of relevant aid to Haiti to combat cholera and-or other issues arising such as housing in the wake of the earthquake there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43514/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 120 together.

Haiti is facing a severe cholera outbreak which has claimed nearly 1000 lives and continues to spread. The situation is made all the worse by the fact that hundreds of thousands are living in makeshift settlements with poor sanitation and hygiene following the January earthquake, which killed 230,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless. I saw the desperate situation for myself when I visited Haiti earlier this year. It has been further compounded by the widespread flooding which followed Hurricane Tomas earlier this month.

In effect the Haitian authorities and the international humanitarian community are now reacting to three emergencies at once. Ireland and the European Union have responded to the cholera outbreak by providing additional resources to combat the disease, which is primarily waterborne. The Government has provided €500,000 to Plan Ireland and Goal for the provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene equipment to those left homeless by January's earthquake and now at most risk of infection in the temporary camps. The funds will also support the training of local health staff and communities on cholera awareness and prevention.

In addition I have ordered the dispatch of forty metric tonnes of tents and tarpaulins from pre-positioned stocks in Panama in order to provide cover to those left without shelter by Hurricane Tomas and subsequent flooding. These will be distributed by Concern and the International Organisation for Migration. Ireland has now allocated a total of €7.6 million in earthquake, hurricane and cholera assistance to Haiti since the beginning of this year, including €1 million in the form of debt relief.

At EU level, the European Commission mobilised its Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) on 5 November to coordinate assistance from Member States in response to both the hurricane and cholera outbreak. The Commission allocated €5.8 million to support health interventions in the affected areas of the country and contingency planning in those areas which have not yet been affected. In addition, the EU Delegation in Port-au-Prince is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to identify other possible support, such as the provision of supplies for the country's central pharmaceutical store. The Commission has deployed its regional health expert from Managua to track the evolution of the epidemic and to provide further advice. This expert will work closely with a mission being carried out by the European Centre for Disease Control in Stockholm which will examine the causes of the cholera outbreak and help formulate a strategy for EU support to the epidemiological surveillance system in Haiti.