Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2012
63 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of incidents involving Irish citizens abroad which required consular assistance through Ireland’s embassies in 2011; the number of times Irish citizens availed of the services of the embassy of another EU member state when there was no Irish diplomatic representation available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6088/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through its Consular Assistance Section and Crisis Planning Unit, Embassies, Consulates and Honorary Consuls, provided consular assistance to 1,506 Irish citizens involved in 1,342 incidents abroad in 2011. This does not include the number of Irish citizens who were assisted during the large number of crises abroad in 2011 including the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand and the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria etc. for which we do not have complete statistics available. My Department does not have statistics for assistance received from Embassies of other EU member states.
