Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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340. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to address the concerns that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is ill-equipped to deal with the refugee situation in Greece; and if there should be a stronger role for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs funding to be directed to smaller groups working directly with the refugees and also funding to be redirected to the Greek authorities whose health service and economy are under massive pressure because of the additional pressures on their services. [19239/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I share the concern about the situation on the ground in Greece, which remains extremely challenging, with over 57,000 refugees and migrants currently dispersed across the country in several sites on the mainland and the islands, despite a reduction in numbers arriving from Turkey.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) updated its regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan covering the eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans route on 10 June to take account of the new situation on the ground following border closures north of Greece and the entry into force of the EU-Turkey agreement. The updated Plan has shifted its focus from working with people on the move to targeting a more static refugee and migrant population in Greece and to providing protection to those in Western Balkan countries.

It is clear that the challenge of meeting the needs of refugees and migrants in Greece is a major one, and UNHCR recognises that many needs remain unmet. Living conditions in several sites across Greece are unacceptable and have indeed deteriorated due to congestion, and it is clear that additional resources are required. Ireland has provided €7 million in core funding to UNHCR this year, an increase of over 20% on our core contribution in 2015.

From our ongoing engagement with UNHCR, it is clear that it has in the past faced similar challenges to those in Greece currently, and that it believes it has the expertise, experience and mandate to address them. There are no indications that coordination is a particular issue at this time and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is limiting its role to monitoring the situation.

Regarding support to the Greek authorities in dealing with the situation, the European Commission has already released €83 million in emergency support to Greece so far this year, out of a total of €300 million budgeted for 2016. There is no doubt that the health service and the Greek economy in general are under enormous pressure but the funding difficulties faced by the health service, and the consequent deterioration in health outcomes, predate the current migration crisis. The Greek authorities, the Greek Red Cross and NGOs are working to provide primary health services to all the migrant centres across Greece and hospital access is available to those with more acute needs.