Professor Ben Tonra:

I will start with Deputy Byrne's questions. I agree there has been a lot of hot air expressed about the diaspora but as a product of two diasporas - my father emigrated in the 1950s and I emigrated in the 1980s and managed to get back - the formal rights, such as allowing them to vote in Dáil or presidential elections, miss the point because very often all one is looking for when one is abroad is a link to have some kind of acknowledgement one is there. The idea of virtual networks, embassies or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade promoting those kinds of networks to make those linkages between Irish people in different places and capitals in different countries would be a huge benefit and would cost very little. I appreciate the logistics of having some kind of a central repository is a lot to ask but much can be done informally using social media and technologies, which were not available to us before. That can be formalised. We could have a Minister for the diaspora, as in Israel or in France. That is a sort of higher level political engagement which is possible but, in practical terms, it is much more difficult to achieve.

Deputy Byrne asked about where Ireland can make a contribution and he spoke about the Middle East and the Ukraine. We have to keep our powder dry. Small countries need to be focused. We need to have a very clear idea of the core values and core issues we need to pursue.

We cannot do everything and cannot be all things to all men and all women. We cannot contribute to the resolution of every problem in the world. However, through our membership of the European Union, we are in a very privileged position. The recent bilateral agreement between the EU and the Ukraine has brought to the fore the fact that Putin is playing an entirely new geo-strategic game in Europe. The European Union is very much on the back foot with respect to that. We have access to levers of power and influence that most other small countries in the world would give their right and left arm to have and we could use that much more effectively and dynamically. Through the UN, the OSCE and the profiles we can develop in niche areas, we can exert an influence that would not be otherwise possible. We must stay focused but there are mechanisms through which we can exert influence.

Regarding the Chairman's question on the global forum, it is very expensive and logistically difficult to run but it is like a brand leader. It signifies the fact, in a very serious way, that the State is at least interested, if not entirely serious about, engaging with the diaspora. That must be leveraged in a smart and intelligent way. It does not mean replicating the model every six months or across different policy sectors. It shows that the State is interested, is willing to engage with the diaspora and is open to ideas from the diaspora. Israel is very different. The State of Israel faces an existential crisis. If one is Jewish and-or Israeli, that takes pre-eminence in one's mind. There is nothing comparable with the Irish case in that regard. However, we can look at how the Israelis, the French and others have engaged with their diasporas and learn lessons from that.

In terms of the embassies and our diplomatic network-----