Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 February 2014
21. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Defence if any unit of the Defence Forces, aside from the contingent of the Permanent Defence Force deployed with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, is assisting with UN and international humanitarian relief efforts to assist the hundreds of thousands of persons displaced by the violence in Syria. [5565/14]
View answerA total of one hundred and twenty-five (125) members of the Permanent Defence Force are currently deployed to the Golan Heights in Syria. These personnel include 119 personal deployed to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and six (6) personnel deployed as UN Military Observers with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) to assist UNDOF. No members of the Permanent Defence Force are assisting with UN and international humanitarian relief efforts in Syria.
The conflict in Syria continues to be one of the greatest challenges confronting the international community at present, and is a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions. The crisis in Syria is a growing threat to regional stability and a major human tragedy. In my capacity as Minister for Justice and Equality, I have approved 90 resettlement places for the resettlement of Syrian refugees from the hosting countries in the region in 2014. This number will include provision for four (4) medical cases, whose needs can only be met through resettlement. I understand that the UNHCR is expected to shortly submit cases to Ireland for consideration in this regard.
Ireland provided in excess of €11 million in humanitarian assistance in 2013 and €2.65 million in 2012. Ireland’s additional pledge of €12 million at Kuwait on 15 January 2014 brings our overall commitment from 2011 to 2014 to approximately €26 million. Funds have been provided to a range of established UN partners as well as to Irish Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
