Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 November 2013
31. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if further assistance will be provided as a matter of urgency towards the humanitarian efforts in the Philippines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48702/13]
View answer32. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise at the EU Foreign Affairs Council the urgent need for substantial aid to be provided in respect of basic necessities such as food, shelter and housing for the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48703/13]
View answer33. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has been in contact with the EU Commission in respect of the need to provide an adequate aid package at EU level to assist in the humanitarian efforts following the typhoon in the Philippines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48704/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 31 to 33, inclusive, together.
A total of over 9.6 million people have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan across 41 provinces in the Philippines, according to latest estimates, and almost 630,000 persons have been displaced. While the media is reporting unconfirmed estimates of up to 10,000 deaths, the official Government figures already stand in the thousands. The toll is likely to increase in the comings days as assessment teams get to remote areas which are without power and communication following one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.
On Sunday I announced emergency funding from Ireland of one million Euros towards the relief effort for Typhoon Haiyan and I separately authorised the dispatch of 103 tonnes of essential shelter items for distribution to families worst affected by the disaster. Ireland was amongst the first countries to respond to this disaster.
The one million Euros of Irish Aid funding will be made available through trusted partners and will go towards shelter, food, water and health. This is in addition to the deployment of stocks to the Philippines from our base in the UN Humanitarian Relief Depot in Dubai. In total 599 tents, 700 tarpaulins, 10,000 blankets and 880 ropes were dispatched to arrive in Cebu this morning (Wednesday 13 November) and will be distributed to affected communities by Plan Ireland. This contribution from Ireland is valued at €570,000. Irish Aid is actively considering a further airlift of essential shelter items in the coming days on the basis of forthcoming needs assessments .
My officials are in daily contact with UNOCHA, UNICEF and WFP on requirements for deployment of technical experts from the Irish Rapid Response Corps. This Corps has a dedicated cadre of specialists in the areas of information management, logistics, protection, engineering and technical sectors and we currently have eight specialists available and on standby for deployment.
Next week’s EU Foreign Affairs Council should provide an opportunity to discuss the broader EU effort in the Philippines and my officials are also in regular contact with the European Commission’s Directorate for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO). On 8 November, ECHO deployed a team of four experts to the Philippines to assess the impact of Typhoon Haiyan in coordination with national authorities, the UN, and the Red Cross Movement. It is expected that further humanitarian personnel will be deployed from ECHO’s office in Bangkok in order to boost support to the relief efforts. Following the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on 10 November, a further team of civil protection specialists has been also been deployed. ECHO has made available €3 million in emergency funding to support the immediate relief efforts in the areas worst affected by the Typhoon, in response to the Government of the Philippines’ appeal for international assistance.
