Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 December 2016
247. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to open any new embassies or consulates as a consequence of the Brexit referendum result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40500/16]
View answer248. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if additional staff have been deployed to Irish embassies or consulates as a consequence of the Brexit referendum result; if so, the embassies which have received additional staff and the number of additional staff; the role assigned to each new staff member, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40501/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 247 and 248 together.
Following the outcome of the referendum in the UK in June 2016 and in line with the Government’s contingency plans prepared in advance, capabilities and resources are being assigned to manage the complex process of the UK exit from the EU.
As we approach the end of the year, I am happy to set out the resources which are in place in my Department as of today. Within my Department, the key Divisions are the Ireland, UK and Americas (IUKA) Division and the European Union Division, both headed at Second Secretary General level. Within the IUKA Division, there are teams focused on Northern Ireland and on wider British-Irish Relations, while the European Union Division contains a specific team focused on the EU-UK negotiations.
In effect, most branches of the Department at its headquarters in Dublin are involved in some way as part of the response to the UK exit, for example the Legal Division, the Trade Division and also the Policy Planning Unit. In addition, there is also an intra-Departmental senior management group on issues relating to the UK exit, chaired by the Secretary General and comprising senior officials from across all relevant business units of the Department.
In terms of Irish offices focused on work relating to the UK exit, additional posts have been approved for our Embassies in London, Berlin, and Paris and the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels. Several of these posts have been filled already while the selection and assignment process to fill other key positions is at an advanced stage. The Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels now has a unit dedicated to managing our response to this issue and there has already been some reassignment of roles in order to fill key positions in this unit.
I would stress that these measures comprise the first phase of our response to the UK decision to leave the EU and matters remain under review as the Government continues its detailed analysis of the implications of the UK referendum decision. I expect that our allocation of roles and responsibilities in key missions across the network will be revised further once the UK triggers Article 50, which is expected by the end of March 2017, and that the resources dedicated to this issue by my Department will be enhanced further to meet the particular challenges of the negotiation phase.
In general terms, all of our diplomatic Missions across the EU and further afield are working on this issue.
I would also add that a number of officers of my Department are seconded to the Department of the Taoiseach and working on EU matters, while two officers are seconded to the International and EU Relations Division of the Department of Finance.
As regards our global diplomatic footprint, a range of factors are taken into account in considering our diplomatic representation overseas: our national political, economic and trade priorities - including the response to the result of the UK’s referendum on EU membership - and maintaining our influence within the EU and with other EU Member States. EU issues are the sole focus of the Permanent Representation in Brussels, our largest diplomatic mission, and a major part of the work of our Embassies in all twenty-seven other EU Member States.
The configuration and scale of the State’s diplomatic and consular network is kept under ongoing review by the Government.
