Written Answers Nos. 528-547
528. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Brexit-related research currently being undertaken by his Department; the topics under consideration; the date this research commenced; the expected date for its completion and publication in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38887/17]
View answerResearch and analysis by Departments on the impact that Brexit may have across a wide range of policy areas is ongoing and of course involves my own Department both in its co-ordination role and in its own right. Planning for, contributing to and following the EU-UK negotiations requires research on and analysis of very many legal, institutional, and political issues, and is led by the European Union Division in co-operation with the Ireland and United Kingdom and Americas Division, the Legal Division, the Political Division and the Trade Division. Our Permanent Representation in Brussels, and our Embassies in all Member States, send in a constant stream of reports describing and analysing the concerns and priorities of the EU Institutions and our partners. My Department also works closely with the European Commission and European Parliament Offices here in Dublin and with civil society organisations including the Institute for International and European Affairs and European Movement Ireland. With funding from this Department, the IIEA is undertaking research on the future shape of the EU and the new strategic alliances that Ireland will need to develop within the EU after Brexit. The analysis will also consider the macro-economic effects of Brexit and the EU institutional implications of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. This work will build on the extensive analysis being undertaken by a range of organisations, both in Ireland and further afield and will be presented in a series of research papers over the coming three years.
529. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the expenditure savings that are earmarked for his Department for 2018 which are not accounted for in the mid-year expenditure report or are not included in the fiscal space calculations for 2018. [38903/17]
View answerThe Department is engaging with the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the 2018 Estimate Allocations. This will be announced on Budget Day in the Oireachtas by the Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on 10 October 2017. The Department is not in a position to comment in advance.
530. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he plans to open an embassy in Georgia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38913/17]
View answer531. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he plans to open an embassy in Iran; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38914/17]
View answer532. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to extend the diplomatic network; the new consulates or embassies that will open in 2017 and 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38915/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 530 to 532, inclusive, together.
The scale and configuration of the State’s diplomatic network in promoting Ireland’s interests and values in a fast-changing world is under continual review by my Department and by the Government. The ambition set by the Taoiseach to double our global footprint by 2025 reflects the scale and complexity of challenges that we face as a country in the years ahead including from Brexit and from growing protectionism internationally. I fully share his view that a strengthened international presence is vital in responding to these challenges and also in seizing new opportunities. These includes the further diversification of markets for trade and investment and building alliances to underpin the rules-based system that has served small globalised countries like Ireland so well. We must also re-double our efforts to promote justice, equality and peaceful international cooperation – values dear to our heart as a nation and which are more relevant than ever.
As specific decisions are taken to augment our network, we also have to ensure that the vital services infrastructure and policy support at headquarters are up to the task. With our existing network of 80 missions, many of which are staffed by officials from across the civil and public service in addition to our own staff, and co-located with agencies such as IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and others, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is uniquely placed to provide effective leadership for this ambitious initiative.
At present, Ireland’s bilateral relationship with Georgia is fostered on a concurrent basis through our Embassy in Sofia and our bilateral relationship with Iran is fostered, again on a concurrent basis, through our Embassy in Ankara. Ireland is also represented in Iran by an Honorary Consul. The question of opening resident diplomatic missions in Georgia and Iran will be considered in the context of the plan to augment our network to 2025.
533. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the countries in which Ireland is lacking an embassy, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38922/17]
View answer534. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the countries in which Irish embassies and consulates exist; the number of staff in each embassy and consulate, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38923/17]
View answer536. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a review of our diplomatic missions has begun further to the Taoiseach's comments on doubling Ireland's global footprint; if so, the date of commencement of the review; the estimated completion date of this review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38925/17]
View answer537. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the specific actions that will be taken by his Department further to the Taoiseach's comments on doubling Ireland's global footprint; the targets set; the timeframe for reaching same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38926/17]
View answer538. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the meetings he has had with relevant stakeholders in relation to doubling Ireland's global footprint further to the Taoiseach's comments; the dates of those meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38927/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 533, 534 and 536 to 538, inclusive, together.
Ireland’s diplomatic network includes 61 Embassies, seven multilateral missions, 11 Consulates General and one Representative office. Many of our Ambassadors are also accredited to additional countries on a concurrent basis, which enables us to maintain diplomatic relations with a total of 178 countries. The locations of Irish Embassies, Permanent Missions, Consulates General and other offices are set out in the table below.
The website of the Department (www.dfa.ie) provides a list of every country in the world and the status of Ireland’s diplomatic relationship with them, including those countries where Ireland does not currently have an embassy.
In the available time it was not possible to provide the number of staff in each embassy and consulate in tabular form. However, 310 staff of the Department are currently assigned to Ireland’s missions overseas and 352 are locally recruited in missions overseas.
The scale and configuration of the State’s diplomatic network in promoting Ireland’s interests and values in a fast-changing world is under continual review by my Department and by the Government. The ambition set by the Taoiseach reflects the scale and complexity of challenges that we face as a country in the years ahead including from Brexit and from growing protectionism internationally. I fully share his view that a strengthened international presence is vital in responding to these challenges and also in seizing new opportunities. These includes the further diversification of markets for trade and investment and building alliances to underpin the rules-based system that has served small globalised countries like Ireland so well. We must also re-double our efforts to promote justice, equality and peaceful international cooperation – values dear to our heart as a nation and which are more relevant than ever.
As we develop our global footprint we also have to ensure that the vital services infrastructure and policy support at headquarters are up to the task. With our existing network of 80 missions, many of which are staffed by officials from across the civil and public service in addition to our own staff, and co-located with agencies such as IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and others, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is uniquely placed to provide effective leadership for this ambitious initiative.
Location of Irish Embassies, Permanent Missions, Consulates General and other offices
|
Embassies - (A-L) |
Embassies - (M-Z) |
Multilateral Missions |
|
Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Bulgaria Brazil Canada China Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Ethiopia Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Holy See Hungary India Indonesia Israel Italy Japan Kenya Korea, Republic of Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malawi |
Malaysia Malta Mexico Mozambique Netherlands Nigeria Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Thailand Turkey U.A.E. Uganda United Kingdom U. S. A. Vietnam Zambia |
Council of Europe – Strasbourg European Union – Brussels OSCE – Vienna United Nations – New York United Nations – Geneva OECD/UNESCO – Paris Brussels Liaison Office (Partnership for Peace) |
|
Consulates-General |
||
|
Sydney, Australia Sao Paulo, Brazil Hong Kong, China Shanghai, China Edinburgh, United Kingdom Atlanta, USA Austin, USA Boston, USA Chicago, USA San Francisco, USA New York, USA |
||
|
Other Offices |
||
|
Ramallah – Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority. |
Breakdown of missions by region
|
Region |
Number |
|
Africa |
10 |
|
Americas |
12 |
|
Asia Pacific |
13 |
|
Europe |
33 |
|
Middle East |
5 |
|
Multi-lateral |
7 |
|
Total |
80 |
535. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the average cost of running an embassy and a consulate, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38924/17]
View answerThe Department is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The work of our embassy and consulate network around the world continues to be important in Ireland’s economic recovery and the restoration of our international reputation. Our network promotes Ireland’s political, economic and cultural interests and values, provide services to our citizens, develop strategic stakeholder relationships and represent Ireland in international organisations.
Our Embassies’ work in support of Ireland’s interests includes:
Promoting Ireland as a source of high-quality exports, a destination for investment, research, study and tourism to targeted audiences and contacts.
Supporting trade missions and other trade-focussed high-level visits, record numbers of which have taken place in the last five years.
Directly assisting Irish companies with advice, introductions and working to resolve regulatory or market access issues, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland.
Providing frontline consular and passport services to Irish citizens overseas.
Influencing and negotiating for Ireland on issues that could impact our interests and priorities.
The cost of operating an embassy and consulate can vary significantly depending of the location, the type, the range of services provided and the resulting overall size of the embassy. Larger embassies/consulates would cost in the region of €1m to €5m per annum to operate. Smaller single diplomatic officer embassies/consulates would cost in the region of €0.5m per annum to operate.
542. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the increased number of applications post Brexit from persons born and living in the UK; the resources put in place to deal with the increased number of applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38955/17]
View answerThe number of passport applications received so far this year from applicants living in Northern Ireland has increased by 33%, with applications from the rest of UK up by 40% on the same period last year. To respond to seasonal spike in demand and the general increase in applications, a total of 230 Temporary Clerical Officers were recruited into the Passport Service this year. These officers are assisting permanent staff with passport entitlement checking and customer care, including by responding to queries received via phone calls, emails and social media. Temporary Clerical Officers in the Passport Service are typically hired on twenty-six week contracts and most of these initial contracts were extended during the year for a further period of six to eight weeks. In addition, a number of permanent staff were also recruited and are assigned to the Passport Service.
The Passport Service launched an Online Passport Renewal Service on 30 March 2017, through which adult citizens resident anywhere in the world can renew their passports quickly, securely and efficiently. This online renewal service already accounts for almost 20% of total applications, and the associated efficiency gains have increased capacity to deal with high volumes of applications in all categories. The Embassy of Ireland in London is actively engaged in promoting the online service to Irish citizens renewing their passport in the region. I urge all Deputies to encourage adults who are renewing their passports to do so online. The turnaround time for online renewals is just ten working days plus postage time.
Further, I urge all Deputies to encourage citizens to register for the free passport renewal reminder email service provided by my Department at the following web address: https://www.eforms.gov.ie/en/reminder/passport/.
The Passport Service will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure the effective deployment of staff resources so as to minimise the impact on processing times of increased numbers of applications from persons living in the UK. The need for additional resources will be kept under review.
544. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the detail of all moneys given or paid to an organisation (details supplied) in each of the past ten years; the purpose of these funds in each case; the person or bodies to which these moneys were paid; the rationale for so doing in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38986/17]
View answerMy Department has not provided funding for the running costs or capital costs of the organisation to which the Deputy refers in the past ten years. Under the Embassy Initiatives strand of the subhead “Cultural relations with other countries”, funding was provided by the Embassy of Ireland in Brussels and the Permanent Representation to the EU towards the costs of a number of cultural events that took place at the organisation. These amounts are set out in the table below.
|
Payment Date |
Description |
Amount (€) |
|
27.07.2010 |
Part funding of ‘Taste of Joyce’ Bloomsday event |
1,000 |
|
13.12.2010 |
Part funding of Culture Night |
1,300 |
|
06.01.2012 |
Provision of refreshments at International Film Festival |
200 |
|
03.09.2012 |
Reimbursement for the procurement of a Bloomsday animation |
360 |
|
14.12.2012 |
Part funding of an Irish dancing event |
700 |
|
18.12.2012 |
Irish music concert as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge |
1,750 |
|
10.12.2013 |
Travel and subsistence costs for contributors to Séamus Heaney commemoration events |
1,429 |
The Embassy of Ireland in Brussels has a funding agreement with the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS), a separate network which was founded to promote interest in and to support the expansion of Irish Studies throughout Europe and which is located at the organisation in question. Funding for EFACIS, which began in 2013, amounts to €17,500 per annum.
546. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the role of access officers within local authorities; if there are guidelines from his Department regarding this role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37319/17]
View answerSection 26 of the Disability Act 2005 seeks to ensure the provision of mainstream public services in a way that is accessible to persons with disabilities. This section requires public bodies to ensure that service provision for people with disabilities is integrated with services for other citizens, where this is practicable and appropriate. Public bodies are required to give assistance to persons with disabilities for the purpose of accessing these services, if requested, and are required to have available to them the expertise and skills necessary for the delivery of accessible services. To this effect, public bodies must appoint at least one member of staff as that organisation’s access officer, to arrange or co-ordinate this assistance.
The National Disability Authority has published a Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information provided by Public Bodies. The Code of Practice is available on the Authority's website and sets out a number of ways in which a public body can achieve the goals set out in section 26 of the Act by adequately supporting and resourcing the access officer role.
In addition to the Code of Practice, the Authority has also produced a non-statutory Accessibility Toolkit, which is available from its website, as part of a wider commitment to provide accessible public services. Following a review of the operation of the role of access officers, the Accessibility Toolkit provides guidance and advice to public bodies on the number of access officers required and the distribution of their responsibilities. However, it is of course for each public body to choose the model that best suits their customers’ needs.
In addition, the Accessibility Toolkit also provides guidance and advice on the provision of training for role of access officer and what supports should be provided to access officers in the execution of their duties.
547. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of a work permit application by a person (details supplied). [37871/17]
View answerI am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that correspondence was received from the person in question, to review the decision made in July 2016 to refuse them permission to work in the State without the requirement of a work permit. This review is currently under consideration and correspondence will issue to this person in the coming weeks.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the email service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
