Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2023
288. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide full details of the past and present role of a person (details supplied) at the Irish Embassy to Colombia, including if any potential conflicts of interest were investigated or identified between the person’s official role at the Embassy and at a company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6608/23]
View answerIreland currently has over 80 Honorary Consuls operating in more than 50 countries across the globe. Our global network of Honorary Consuls offers vital support to the Government across a range of priorities, including providing a means of meeting the needs of Irish citizens and the Government in regions where we do not have a resident diplomatic Mission.
The services provided by the network include responding to enquiries in relation to passports, visas and travel to Ireland, as well as providing vital assistance in emergency cases. Our Honorary Consuls also have an important role in promoting the broader interests of the State overseas. They support Irish diplomatic missions and the relevant state agencies in establishing connections to key local stakeholders, in areas such as business, politics, culture and education.
My Department operates a comprehensive and robust system for managing appointments to Ireland’s Honorary Consul network. Honorary Consuls are not employees of an Embassy of Ireland or of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The position of Honorary Consul is honorary in nature - unsalaried and non-pensionable. An appointment to the role is generally made for an initial period of 3 years, with the potential for renewal thereafter.
Ireland and Colombia enjoy strong and wide-ranging bilateral relations across multiple areas, with excellent ties across the political, economic, cultural and multilateral spheres, among others. The depth and breadth of this relationship was greatly enhanced by the opening of Embassies in Dublin and Bogotá in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and has since gone from strength to strength.
The individual who is the subject of the Deputy’s question was appointed Honorary Consul of Ireland in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2001. Having provided valuable support to Ireland in that role for 18 years, his tenure ceased with the opening of our first resident Embassy in Bogotá in 2019. Subsequently, and in line with the aims of the whole-of-Government Strategy for the region, the establishment of a new Honorary Consul role in Barranquilla, Colombia, was approved, and the individual in question was appointed to that role in March 2022, as Ireland’s first Honorary Consul in Barranquilla.
