Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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38. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount of direct aid Ireland has provided towards assisting the continuing humanitarian catastrophe in and around Syria since 2011; the immediate financial intentions in relation to the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30274/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The conflict in Syria is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation. Since 2012, Ireland has provided a total of €62 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region. At present, it is Ireland's largest response to any humanitarian crisis.

Of the €20 million in funding provided by Ireland so far in 2016, €14 million has been delivered through the Irish Aid programme, managed by my Department, and €6 million through the Department of Agriculture's support to the World Food Programme's Syria response.

Irish Aid funding seeks to meet the needs of those inside Syria, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, and those who have fled to neighbouring countries, in particular Lebanon and Jordan. Funding is channelled through a range of partners, including NGOs, UN organisations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, who are best placed to respond. These partners provide humanitarian supplies and urgently-needed health, education, water and sanitation services, as well as support measures to protect children and vulnerable families.

Through our annual contributions to EU Institutions, Ireland also supports the EU's humanitarian response in Syria, to which €445 million has been pledged in 2016.

In addition, members of Ireland's Rapid Response Corps have been deployed to the Balkans and Middle East, providing much-needed surge capacity to UN agencies responding to migration challenges resulting from the Syrian conflict.

We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and, given its complexity and severity, I would expect that we will be providing additional support for people affected by the crisis in the coming months.