Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I encourage all members to make a submission as the points they raised would form a valuable part of the review. I fully accept Senator Hayden's point on the value of bilateral relations. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Department of the Taoiseach attach great importance to developing bilateral relations. I travel extensively to what could be inelegantly described as multilateral gatherings, for example, European Union and OSCE gatherings, at which many countries are represented. We should never assume such forums amount to the same thing as building a direct relationship with another country. I am proud to note that in all the work I have observed, this mistake has not been made and we do all we can to develop good relations with EU member states and non-EU countries.

This leads me to the point made by other speakers regarding embassies, which are at the core of bilateral work. The Tánaiste has indicated that the allocation of embassies is under review. Members referred to the work the embassies do and the resources available to them. The many embassies I have dealt with do extraordinary work. Their staff work extremely hard and they are an invaluable asset as we seek to chart a way out of our current difficulties.

I will leave it at that as it is not my role at this stage to engage in the work of the committee. If members were to develop the themes they have raised in a report, it would make a valuable input in the process.