Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance and for outlining the nature of this review. I perceive today's meeting to be a commencement of the process and I would like to think the joint committee will submit a statement to the review in advance of the deadline on 4 February. Consequently, members probably will have a number of discussions in this regard in the new year and can feed back the outcomes of those discussions to the Minister of State in due course. However, I will make a few points while the Minister of State is present. I welcome the breadth of the review and it is excellent that the relationship with the Irish diaspora is being considered. The Minister of State is aware of how important the diaspora has been to the country over the generations. I did not hear the Minister of State indicate members of the diaspora would be consulted in some way but I assume that organisations such as, for instance, the Federation of Irish Societies in the United Kingdom or the American organisations will have some input into this process because it is important to maximise the use of the diaspora abroad.

I note the Minister of State's reference to the need to examine how Ireland's embassies can contribute towards economic recovery and growth through the promotion of trade and tourism, which is an excellent point. I am reminded of a visit I made to Ireland's consul in Hong Kong some time ago. From recollection, Ireland's trade with Hong Kong alone - not with China - is approximately €1 billion per year, yet we do not even have an office there. While we have an excellent part-time consul, he can only spend a certain amount of time on issues regarding Ireland and promoting trade and tourism. There are opportunities for Ireland that must be maximised but which are not being maximised at present.

As for where Ireland's embassies should be located, there are some examples arise within the European Union. For example, Croatia joined recently and while Ireland has no embassy there, it does so up the road in Slovenia, which is a country of half the size and with which Ireland has half the trade. Consequently, there may be ways of rationalising or altering some local arrangements. We have an excellent diplomatic corps, which on the whole is extremely cost-effective. I will give some examples to the Minister of State. The joint committee recently visited the Baltic states and our embassies in Tallinn and Vilnius are examples of what can be done efficiently and well on extremely tight budgets. The review should consider this issue and should consider how Ireland's representation abroad can be maximised through the most cost-effective means possible. I look forward to forming part of the review and the joint committee will return to the subject early in the new year.