Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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159. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he will take to ensure that aid is properly managed in Syria and reaches those most in need in view of the fact that Ireland will lead the international donor group which supports the work of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24352/18]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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161. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the safeguards in place to ensure that aid from Ireland to Syria is properly used and is going to its intended targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24354/18]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 161 together.

Ireland’s humanitarian response inside Syria is targeted at those in greatest need, channelled in line with the humanitarian principles of independence, impartiality, neutrality and humanity.

Decisions on the allocation of Irish funds are based on analyses of the highest priority needs, together with assessments of which organisations are best placed and have the appropriate capacity to respond to those needs. Given the complexity of operation in a conflict zone, Ireland’s assistance inside Syria is channelled through the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. It is recognised that provision of humanitarian aid to areas in conflict, including Syria, presents significant challenges, particularly when it comes to the political and security environment. Ireland’s partners working in such environments are therefore subject to careful systems assessments and must demonstrate transparency, accountability, and effective and efficient use of funds.

In addition to the standard robust grant management and appraisals processes, a dedicated Humanitarian Advisor for the Middle East, based in the Irish Embassy in Ankara, also oversees programmes and partners in receipt of Irish funding. This includes membership of donor advisory boards, based in the region, who oversee the allocation of support to various partners. In addition, Ireland participates in international donor coordination mechanisms that monitor and oversee the work of our partners. Through Ireland’s upcoming chairmanship of the OCHA Donor Support Group, in particular, we will support OCHA to lead an effective and principled global humanitarian response, including inside Syria.

Through our annual contributions to EU Institutions, Ireland also supports the EU’s humanitarian response inside Syria. Implementation of humanitarian aid managed by the EU is ensured through several layers of checks and monitoring, including regular field visits. Regular evaluations are also undertaken, the results of which are publicly available.

Ireland will continue to monitor closely the humanitarian situation across the region affected by the Syria crisis. We will also continue to ensure that Irish and EU assistance reaches those in greatest need in the most efficient and effective way possible, with robust monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure this.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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160. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he is taking to ensure that sanctions against Syria are fully enforced and not bypassed by the Assad regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24353/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The brutal repression of dissent by the Assad regime has led to a conflict that over the past seven years has cost the lives of over 400,000 people, has left over 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and has caused the largest displacement of people since World War Two. The Assad regime and its allies have repeatedly targeted civilians, including through use of “starve or surrender” techniques, forced displacement in the interest of demographic engineering, denial of humanitarian assistance and deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure such as schools, markets and hospitals, including chemical attacks.

Ireland supports EU restrictive measures (sanctions) targeting the Assad regime and its supporters, and will continue to do so as long as repression continues. The sanctions currently in place include notably an oil embargo, restrictions on certain investments, a freeze of the assets of the Syrian central bank within the EU, export restrictions on equipment and technology that might be used for internal repression as well as on equipment and technology for monitoring or interception of internet or telephone communications. In addition, over 250 persons and almost 70 entities are targeted by a travel ban and an asset freeze over the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria. Most recently, in March, the Council added an additional 4 persons to the list of those targeted by EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime for their role in the development and use of chemical weapons against the civilian population. On 28 May 2018, the Council extended EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime until 1 June 2019. Given the ongoing repression of the civilian population, the EU decided to maintain its restrictive measures against the Syrian regime and its supporters, in line with the EU strategy on Syria.

EU Regulations have what is termed "direct effect" in Irish law, meaning that they apply and must be complied with in the same way as Irish legislation. In Ireland, penalties for breaches of sanctions are provided for by Statutory Instrument (SIs). A comprehensive list of SIs may be found in the Irish Statute Book. Within the EU each Member State is required to designate Competent Authorities that are engaged with sanctions issues including ensuring that sanctions measures are implemented. In Ireland's case, there are three such Competent Authorities: the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, and the Central Bank of Ireland.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade represents Ireland internationally on sanctions-related matters, including communicating with the EU, the UN and other states in respect of international restrictive measures. The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is the Competent Authority for implementation of trade-related sanctions and the Central Bank of Ireland is the Competent Authority for the implementation of financial sanctions as they relate to financial institutions. Given the multi-sectoral nature of sanctions measures however a wide range of Government stakeholders are engaged on sanctions related issues.

Ireland will continue to support all efforts to ensure a lasting peace and full accountability for war crimes in Syria, in the context of bringing peace and stability to the region.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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162. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken at national, EU and international level to ensure that the perpetrators of war crimes in Syria are brought to justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24355/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The situation in Syria remains of grave concern. The conflict has cost the lives of well over 400,000 people, 13 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, over 6 million people are displaced within Syria and an additional 5 million have fled to neighbouring countries and the wider region. There have been numerous brutal attacks on civilians by the Assad regime and others, including the use of medieval starve or surrender tactics, the use of chemical weapons and the deliberate targeting of medical facilities and personnel.

Ireland supports a broad range of efforts to ensure full legal accountability for all war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria as part of a sustainable peaceful resolution to the conflict and has consistently called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court. Ireland supports the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry established in August 2011 by the Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in Syria. Furthermore, in December 2016 Ireland and a group of like-minded countries successfully pressed for the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly to establish an International Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Syria. Last year my predecessor as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan T.D. announced a contribution of €100,000 to support the work of this mechanism. Further support for the work of the Mechanism in 2018 is currently under consideration.

Ireland is also a strong and consistent supporter of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) whose Fact Finding Mission (FFM) was set up in 2014 to “establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic”. We support their work financially with annual contributions amounting to nearly €1million since 2014. In addition, Ireland contributed €200,000 specifically to the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mission to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria.

Ireland deeply regrets Russia’s veto of the renewal of the mandate of this Joint Investigative Mission last October. It is extremely frustrating that the UN Security Council has not been able to take meaningful action to maintain peace and security in Syria and to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria. Those who have vetoed effective UN action in this regard bear a heavy responsibility.

Ireland is supporting an initiative to convene a Special Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention with a view to considering the introduction of a mechanism for attributing responsibility for the use of chemical weapons.

Ireland also supports EU sanctions targeting the regime and its supporters, and will continue to do so as long as repression continues. The sanctions currently in place include notably an oil embargo, restrictions on certain investments, a freeze of the assets of the Syrian central bank within the EU, export restrictions on equipment and technology that might be used for internal repression as well as on equipment and technology for monitoring or interception of internet or telephone communications. In addition, over 250 persons and almost 70 entities are targeted by a travel ban and an asset freeze over the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria. Most recently, in March, the Council added an additional 4 persons to the list of those targeted by EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime for their role in the development and use of chemical weapons against the civilian population. On 28 May 2018, the Council extended EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime until 1 June 2019. Given the ongoing repression of the civilian population, the EU decided to maintain its restrictive measures against the Syrian regime and its supporters, in line with the EU strategy on Syria.

Ireland has also supported calls for sanctions at UN level also and very much regrets that a draft UN Security Council resolution that would have established a sanctions regime, a committee and an expert panel to hold accountable those using and producing chemical weapons in Syria was not passed in February 2017. Ireland will continue to support all efforts to ensure a lasting peace and full accountability for war crimes in Syria, in the context of bringing peace and stability to the region.