asked the Taoiseach if the Government have any immediate plans to provide emergency supplies to relieve starvation and malnutrition throughout the undeveloped world; and, if so, if he will give details.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Relief of Starvation.
1.
In each of the past two years, the Government have contributed over £1 million to international organisations concerned with aiding developing countries and relieving hunger and malnutrition in those countries and it is our declared policy to increase this flow of aid according as our own economic capacity grows.
As regards emergency aid, the Deputy will be aware that it was announced on Friday last that the Government are providing an additional £100,000 for the purpose of sending emergency supplies to help relieve distress in Nigeria, particularly in the Eastern area. I might also mention that within the past month, in response to an urgent appeal by the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Government have offered to send £10,000 worth of skim-milk powder to help feed refugees in the Middle East. We also made special contributions totalling about £18,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the United Nations Children's Fund for emergency aid for refugees in that area following the outbreak of hostilities there in 1967. These latter contributions were additional to our normal annual contributions to those organisations.
A proportion of the resources of the World Food Programme, to which we are currently contributing cash and foodstuffs to the value of £200,000 per annum, is used by the Programme authorities for emergency feeding purposes and part of the food which we supply each year under our pledge to the Programme is used in this way.
Could the Taoiseach say what agency is being used to provide emergency supplies to Nigeria and Biafra?
The Deputy has another question down to which this would probably be more appropriate and relevant.
Would I be correct in assuming that the Red Cross is the main agency used by the Government in all these contributions given by the Government, apart from one or two direct contributions to some of the subsidiary bodies of the United Nations?
Quite right.
Would the Taoiseach agree with me that, while it is an excellent and desirable thing to contribute from such abundance as we dispose of to relieve starvation and malnutrition throughout the world, the most important contribution towards the resolution of that problem is the contribution of trained personnel to teach the people in these areas how to produce the food necessary to feed themselves, which can be done if modern methods of irrigation, fertilisation and seed provision are employed?
I agree entirely with the Deputy.
The Taoiseach will agree that that will not solve the immediate problem in Biafra?
Deputy Dillon is referring to the subject matter of Deputy Corish's general question.
Is not this sort of assistance organised by the United Nations?
The FAO mainly.