Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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108. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider withholding development aid from the Myanmarese government in view of the situation in Rakhine province and instead diverting the aid to funding displaced placed person's camps in Bangladesh that are processing Rohingya refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40100/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland does not provide development or humanitarian aid directly to the Government of Myanmar. Our support is directed to key civil society and other trusted partners in Myanmar with the objective of meeting the needs of some of the poorest and most marginalised communities there, and to help underpin peace, prosperity and the political transition to full democracy. Ireland’s support to the people of Myanmar involves working with a range of Irish and international NGOs such as Trócaire, Plan International and Misean Cara as well as supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Additionally, Ireland is a strong supporter of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which on 7 September, announced an allocation of US$7 million to urgently help tens of thousands of people fleeing violence in Myanmar and seeking refuge in Bangladesh. These funds will allow humanitarian partners to scale up urgent aid by providing additional shelter, food, and critical health care to those affected by the conflict, especially women and girls. This allocation is in addition to US$6.5 million which was provided by CERF for emergency relief to Myanmar earlier in 2017.