Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour)
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1180. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action the Irish Government is taking to ensure Irish aid gets delivered cross-border to those in most acute need in opposition controlled areas in Syria [33247/14]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1215. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the level of humanitarian aid provided to date in 2014 for Syria and that general region; his proposals to provide further humanitarian assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34670/14]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1216. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised at EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings the need for the international community to honour the commitments made at the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria and that region in relation to humanitarian assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34671/14]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1180, 1215 and 1216 together.

The protracted crisis in Syria has resulted in immense humanitarian need. More than 190,000 people have lost their lives, and there are now over 10.8 million people within the country who are in need of immediate life-saving support, 4.7 million of them in areas that are very difficult to access. There are a further 3 million Syrian refugees requiring assistance in neighbouring countries.

The operating environment for the provision of humanitarian assistance is volatile and insecure. As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, questions persist as to how civilians in urgent need can be reached. Despite the immense constraints, Ireland has been working through a variety of channels, including our established UN partners, NGO partners and the Red Cross/Red Crescent in Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to ensure that Irish aid is delivered across borders and conflict lines to those in acute need.

The scale and severity of the crisis requires a sustained response from the international community. Ireland welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2165 on 14 July 2014, which authorised the delivery of humanitarian aid by the UN and its partners across the border into Syria without the consent of the Assad regime. On 28 August, the UN reported that for the first time in six months there had been some improvement on humanitarian access to Syria as a result of the adoption of this resolution. Monitoring mechanisms are now operational at three border crossings in Turkey and Jordan.

As of 28 August, the UN had sent nine shipments to Syria from neighbouring countries pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 2165. This included seven shipments from Turkey and two from Jordan. More shipments are planned this month in close coordination with the UN humanitarian team in Damascus. This is in line with the UN’s ‘whole-of-Syria’ approach, to ensure that assistance across conflict lines and national borders reaches those most in need. Nonetheless, 241,000 people still remain under siege in a number of areas, and much more needs to be done by the parties to ensure that humanitarian access is rapid, regular, safe, and unhindered.

Ireland has been playing its part in helping alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, and will continue to advocate internationally for increased support to the humanitarian relief effort, as well as for the full and immediate implementation by all parties to the conflict of UN Security Council Resolution 2139 on humanitarian access and Resolution 2165 on cross-border and cross-line access. The EU is the largest donor in this prolonged crisis, and Ireland has used every opportunity available to encourage donors to honour their pledges towards the humanitarian response. EU Ministers are agreed on the need to provide such support to the people of Syria.

Ireland is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis. At the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria and the region held in Kuwait last January, Ireland pledged to provide €12 million in humanitarian assistance over the course of 2014. Given the scale of the crisis, we have already exceeded this pledge by €2 million. Since 2011, Ireland has provided over €28 million in humanitarian support to Syria, delivered through UN partners and NGOs. We are continuing to review developments and the need for additional assistance.