Vol. 544 No. 5
8 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to offer aid to the Cuban Government in order to assist in the tasks of reconstruction following the recent hurricane; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29260/01]
Following the landfall of Hurricane Michelle on the southern coast of Cuba on 4 November, the United Nations disaster assessment and co-ordination team visited the country to assess the situation on the ground. Five people were reported to have died with many thousands having to be provided with temporary shelter. The Cuban Society of the Red Cross mobilised more than 12,000 volunteers who helped evacuate those at risk to temporary accommodation or to houses of relatives or friends. By 9 November, the UN reported that water supplies had been substantially restored in three out of four urban centres, including Havana, and totally restored in two others. Electricity supplies were also substantially restored to these and other areas at that time. Thanks to the ongoing work of the Cuban Government and local authorities, further progress has been made in the restoration of basic services and in the provision of shelter to those in need since that date.
Although the government of Cuba decided not to issue an international appeal in response to Hurricane Michelle, their response to it has been supported by the Pan-American disaster response unit which is run by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Crescent. A representative of PADRU was sent to Cuba to support the national emergency effort. PADRU also worked closely with the Cuban Red Cross on the ground and kept a regional logistics unit on standby in Panama. This work was supported by an Ireland Aid grant of £100,000 earlier this year.
The Government has decided to provide a further $60,000 to assist the work of UNICEF-Cuba which is responding to the immediate health needs of children in areas affected by Hurricane Michelle.
Notice taken that 20 Members were not present; House counted and 20 Members being present,
As I was saying, the European Union, which is Cuba's major donor, is providing 8 million in humanitarian and emergency preparedness support for that country this year. This assistance is addressing immediate humanitarian needs as well as those of the elderly, the handicapped, mothers and other vulnerable sectors of the population. Geographically, the EU's humanitarian support concentrates on the five eastern provinces of Cuba which are most at risk due to hostile climate and remoteness along with some areas of the central provinces. In addition, the EU provides economic and NGO co-financing support which amounted to 13 million in 2000.
During 1993-2000, 78 million has been provided in humanitarian aid by the EU, representing 65% of its total support to Cuba during that period. The EU is currently in consultation with the Cuban Government so as to move forward the process of providing bilateral humanitarian support into that of supporting national development. This shift in emphasis is aimed at helping Cuba to improve the living standards of its people and to withstand any future regional climatic disasters by building on a lasting, comprehensive national development strategy.
Since the beginning of last year, almost £6 million has been provided by the Government in assistance to countries in Latin America. This assistance is made up of emergency relief and recovery support, co-financing of NGOs and missionaries and support for human rights and democratisation. The Government will continue its support, both bilaterally and as a contributing member of the EU, for emergency preparedness, relief and recovery programmes in Cuba and other countries of Latin America. As seen in our response to the disasters in Peru and El Salvador earlier this year, and our ongoing support for recovery from Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, these countries remain particularly susceptible to climatic and other forms of natural disaster.
Some time ago members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs learned that overseas development assistance allocated by the European Union is often very slow to reach those places of hardship and the people that it is meant to assist. At that time, the committee made representations through our European Commissioner, Mr. David Byrne, to ensure that whatever financial assistance is available, and has been allocated by the European Union, is disbursed speedily and not held up by bureaucratic delays. Is the Minister satisfied that better mechanisms are now in place for disbursing aid and relief to areas of extreme hardship where people are dying and suffering in other ways? Are the EU's mechanisms for disbursing such funds less bureaucratic than heretofore, so the entire budget is allocated each year?
Concerns have been expressed regarding this issue by the foreign affairs committee and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, who has direct responsibility for humanitarian assistance programmes and the promotion of human rights internationally. The EU's Development Council deals with this issue and improvements have taken place which make the process less bureaucratic. The manner in which decisions are taken as to the extent and destination of funding has been greatly streamlined. Commissioner Patten has also raised this issue at the General Affairs Council which I attend. The Commission has a clear understanding of the need for reform in the delivery of aid so it is disbursed more speedily and expeditiously.
Many demands are made on the EU Commission's budgets for this kind of activity. Commissioner Patten often makes the point that new priorities are set, and Afghanistan is a case in point. The configuration of the aid programme will have to be rearranged in the new year to meet what is now regarded as this main priority, among others. This is due to the fact that the financial perspectives up to the end of 2006 were fixed at the Berlin European Council and are not open for re-negotiation.
On the one hand, there is the need to ensure that aid is delivered more expeditiously, effectively and efficiently. However, on the other hand, there is a continuing and increasing list of demands from countries to try to meet situations which arise, whether in Central America, Cuba or due to natural disasters. In addition, the international community's commitment to reconstruction in Afghanistan will require a major commitment from the EU as part of that international effort.
I take the point that, regardless of where the priorities are set, or how they are modified as circumstances change, the need to ensure that aid programmes are delivered quickly and effectively to achieve greatest impact is a continuing priority for the Commission.
Many of our NGOs and lay and religious missionaries working abroad, particularly in Africa, are satisfied with the mechanisms operated by the Government and, in particular, the Department as regards the allocation of funds. Perhaps the EU's mechanisms could be tailored to reflect the Department's mechanisms for the speedy disbursement of funds to countries in which natural disasters have occurred, or in which there is an ongoing overseas development assistance programme.
I acknowledge the appreciation of the Deputy and all Members for the work of our NGOs and missionaries in less developed parts of the world. As a smaller country we have the ability to be more flexible and to react more quickly, albeit with smaller funds, as these are bilateral programmes, as distinct from the EU's enormous budget. The EU's development assistance budget is the largest of its kind in the world.
Those who work the system are acutely aware that, in terms of maintaining its credibility and, more importantly, its effectiveness on the ground, there is a need to streamline the means by which decisions are taken. Up to now there have been too many committees and deliberative bodies which examined problems and decided on allocations. These decisions have taken far too long and priorities on the ground had moved on by the time the aid was delivered.
There is a recognition of the need to co-ordinate all of these activities and to work with the bilateral programmes of member states so the European contribution, whether through EU or national budgets, are maximised and dovetailed to best effect. This is a continuing issue of which we must be mindful. Deputy O'Donnell has consistently held this position and has been one of the promoters of reforms in the Development Council as a result of our experiences.
