Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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165. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which aid and support continue to be provided to the civilian population in Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9007/17]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Since 2012, the Government has provided a total of €67.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region, in Ireland’s largest response to any humanitarian crisis. We provided €25 million in 2016 alone, €19 million of which was delivered through the Irish Aid programme, managed by my Department, and €6 million through the Department of Agriculture, through the World Food Programme.

Irish Aid funding seeks to meet the needs of the civilian population inside Syria and those who have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. I will travel to both Lebanon and Jordan next week, where I will meet with Syrian refugee families and their host communities, as well as with the Irish NGOs and UN organisations working to meet their critical needs using humanitarian funding provided by the Irish Government.

Ireland’s support to the civilian population inside Syria is also channelled through our UN, NGO and Red Cross partners. These partners provide humanitarian supplies and urgently needed health, education, water and sanitation services, as well as implementing measures to protect women, children and vulnerable families. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in particular, has proven capacity and expertise in reaching the most vulnerable communities in Syria and in gaining access to besieged areas. During 2016, Ireland’s funding supported the work of the ICRC to carry out 55 cross-frontline operations to bring food, clean water and essential aid to millions of Syrians.

Through our annual contributions to EU Institutions, Ireland supports the EU’s humanitarian response in Syria, which amounted to €445 million in 2016. The EU and its Member States are collectively the lead provider of international aid to the people of Syria and we intend to maintain this substantial commitment in 2017.

We will continue to monitor the situation in Syria and the region closely with a view to providing significant further assistance, focusing in particular on the needs of the civilian population.