New €1.5m crisis fund for overseas charities set up

Ireland's three largest overseas charities are to benefit from a new €1.5 million fund from the Department of Foreign Affairs to respond to sudden disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

Goal, Concern and Trócaire have been allocated a special emergency fund of €500,000 each which they can draw down immediately when a crisis occurs to provide the quickest possible aid.

Each fund will be replenished to its €500,000 balance after it has been spent, provided that Irish Aid, the Government's overseas assistance body, is satisfied with how it has been used.

Irish Aid already provides pre-allocated funds to both the United Nations and the International Red Cross for their emergency response work.

"It makes sense that Irish Aid should make similar provisions in respect of the three leading Irish relief agencies by establishing special emergency funds for them," Minister of State for overseas development Michael Kitt said.

Goal chief executive John O'Shea said he was delighted that the funding, which the charity had been calling for over several years, had finally been put in place.

"It doesn't make sense that when a disaster hits we can't immediately access money. It's not unlike telling someone who's having a heart attack that you'll help them next week. We need to swing into action as soon as possible, so this funding, while long overdue, just makes common sense."

The scheme will be reviewed in 2009.