Proinsias De Rossa
Ceist:64 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if Government funding will be provided for the Irish Refugee Council in 1993.
Written Answers. - Irish Refugee Council.
The Irish Refugee Council applied to my Department in December 1992 for a grant of £25,000 in order to get out of its financial difficulties. I considered the council's submission carefully but concluded that it would not be possible to accede to this particular request.
I do, however, attach the highest importance to giving humanitarian assistance to refugees. The body established by the Government to provide such assistance is the Irish Refugee Agency, which operates under a board appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The agency has most recently been responsible for the reception and resettlement of the refugees from the former Yugoslavia who were admitted to Ireland following a Government decision last July. A sum of £250,000 has been provided for the agency in the Estimates for 1993.