The Taoiseach has announced the Government will increase its aid package for the earthquake crisis in Asia to €10 million.
A Government spokeswoman confirmed Mr Ahern made the announcement a short time ago in Dublin. The decision to increase the amount came as the scale of the crisis unfolded in recent days.
The Government had been criticised by a number of aid agencies and by the Opposition for what was seen as the inadequacy of its initial financial response to the crisis. Initially, the Government said it would give €1 million, but later increased this to €2 million.
The Irish charity GOAL today criticized the Government for its "inappropriate" donation of €2 million. GOAL's chief executive, Mr John O'Shea, called on Mr Ahern to "substantially" increase the Government's financial commitment. "It's possible that the Irish government hasn't grasped yet the enormity of the tragedy, or the mood of the Irish people," he said.
He commended the Irish public for their "incredible" generosity, and said the public deserves to see a similar show of kindness from the Government.
The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Pat Rabbitte, also called on the Government to dig deeper, calling the initial offering of €2 million "disappointing".
"If, as the Taoiseach and his colleagues keep telling us, we are one of the most successful economies in the world and the envy of Europe, then surely we should be able to come up with more than €2 million to help those who now find themselves in such dire circumstances," said Mr Rabbitte.
He said the Government should consider holding a special National Lottery draw for the disaster fund.