Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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349. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland, through his Department or through Irish Aid, can support those Iraqi refugees, predominantly Christians living in Jordan who have been dependent on the fund-raising activities of persons and groups to provide them with food, shelter, health care and education. [3202/17]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Ireland continues to respond to the immense humanitarian needs arising from the crises across the Middle East region. We recognise the need to support the countries such as Jordan which have demonstrated remarkable generosity in hosting refugee communities fleeing from conflict in Syria and Iraq.

In 2016, Ireland provided more than €3 million through the Irish Aid humanitarian programme, managed by my Department, to meet the humanitarian needs of Iraqis, including vulnerable populations inside Iraq in besieged areas, those displaced internally, and those who have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

Irish Aid funding, channelled through NGO and UN partners best placed to respond, was used to provide humanitarian supplies and urgently-needed access to food, health, water and sanitation services, with a particular focus on the protection of children, women and the most vulnerable.

In 2016, Ireland also provided €1.5 million to the UN’s Jordan Humanitarian Fund, which allocates critical funding to local and international NGO partners to meet the urgent needs of refugees now residing in Jordan.

Ireland has previously provided funding to support the work of the UN Refugee Agency in Jordan, which aims to provide protection and life-saving assistance to refugees fleeing violence and conflict in the region.

Through Ireland’s annual contributions to European Union institutions, we support the EU’s humanitarian actions in Iraq and Jordan. To date, the European Commission has contributed more than €750 million in assistance to refugees and vulnerable communities in Jordan, including Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugees.

The protection of vulnerable communities across the Middle East, including the threat to ancient Christian communities in Iraq and elsewhere, is of deep concern to Ireland. In his address to the UN General Assembly in October, Minister Flanagan raised the plight of religious minorities in particular.

We are continuing to monitor closely the complex situation in Iraq and the region and will continue to provide assistance to the most vulnerable.