Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 83: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a figure on the amount of Irish aid committed to Haiti since the earthquake in 2010; if he will provide a breakdown of the way in which this aid was used; his plans for future reconstruction funds for Haiti from Irish Aid including the proposed amounts for 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37132/11]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 killed more than 230,000 people and injured 300,000 others. The earthquake destroyed much of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas, left approximately 1.5 million people homeless and caused losses and damage estimated at approximately €5.9 billion. Nearly two years after the earthquake, the humanitarian situation in Haiti remains extremely fragile. An estimated 550,000 people are still displaced within Haiti, living in nearly 900 tented camps in Port-au-Prince and other earthquake-affected areas. While the number of people living in the displacement camps continues to decrease and steady progress has been made in clearing the 10 million cubic metres of debris generated by the quake, there is still a high level of humanitarian need across much of the country. Ireland pledged funding of €13 million for the period 2010-12 at the Haiti Donor Conference that was held in New York in March 2010. To date, €11.5 million of this has been committed and it is intended that the entire pledge will be met by early 2012.

To date, Irish Aid has prioritised the needs of the most vulnerable populations, including women and children, as well as the basic humanitarian needs of the population more generally. This follows the recommendations of an assessment mission following the earthquake, which advocated an Irish focus on protection, as well as clean water and sanitation, early recovery and shelter. Support has been provided to UNICEF, Concern, Goal, Plan, World Vision and Haven in 2010 and 2011 for the provision of clean water, shelter and sanitation to the affected population. Some €1 million was also provided to the Haiti Reconstruction Trust Fund for projects managed by the World Bank in line with priorities agreed with the Haitian authorities. Since the earthquake, there have also been 17 deployments of the Irish Aid-administered Rapid Response Corps to Haiti to assist in areas such as logistics, engineering and water and sanitation. Volunteers have deployed to work with organisations such as the UN World Food Programme, Concern Worldwide, Goal and the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. A detailed breakdown of Irish Aid support is shown below. Future funding to activities in Haiti will be based on the assessments of our key partners of ongoing needs. Irish Aid Support to Haiti 2010-2011