Mr. Denis Staunton:

I had been speaking about the need for language training. The other big issue relates to embassies and representation abroad. About a decade ago many countries were shrinking their embassy networks. They thought that technological and other changes would make traditional diplomacy obsolete. In fact the opposite has turned out to be the case. The past few years have seen many countries, including our nearest neighbour, the United Kingdom, opening new embassies and consulates around the world. Our Government needs to do the same, not least because many of the countries with which we want to increase trade place a very high value on formal government-to-government contacts and embassies play a key role in facilitating business and trade deals. An expansion of the embassy network in Asia and Latin America cannot, however, come at the expense of our diplomatic presence in Europe and the United States.

Deeper political and economic integration in Europe has made it more important than ever to have an Irish presence in all European Union capitals. After all, each of these countries can vote on matters of great importance to Irish citizens.

This year's planned referendum on Scottish independence and a possible future vote on British membership of the European Union have introduced an element of constitutional uncertainty to the politics of the United Kingdom. Any change in the constitutional order there could not only affect Ireland's interest within the European Union but could undermine the stability of the constitutional settlement in Northern Ireland, with unpredictable consequences for the whole island.

In the United States of America a tiny Irish diplomat staff is not only dealing with the regular bilateral issues and the by-now traditional issues of Northern Ireland and immigration but also important new matters such as the US policy on tax avoidance and evasion. Ireland has enjoyed a remarkable level of access to legislators and policymakers on Capitol Hill and in successive US Administrations. This is a source of great envy to other European countries represented in Washington. Some people in Ireland may be under the impression that such access happens of its own accord or that it is a product of our unusual charm as a people. In fact, it is the result of years of cultivation of a vast network of relationships. These relationships must be constantly renewed and supplemented by our already overstretched diplomats.

This brings me to the Irish diaspora, an invaluable resource throughout the world but one that should be cultivated rather than simply exploited. If one spends any time with the Irish abroad one sees quickly that they know a great deal more about us than we know about them. Yet most of our efforts to engage them are focused on pumping out more and more information about ourselves and letting them know what they can do to help us. It might be worth occasionally allowing the traffic to move the other way and to offer them something, like a vote in some elections, perhaps, rather than simply identifying the wealthiest and most obviously useful and exploiting their goodwill.

It is not only the embassies that are overstretched. The hollowing out of the Department's headquarters at Iveagh House means that even if the money is found to send a diplomat abroad to study a language for a long period, often, there is no one suitable available to cover for the job that the diplomat had been doing. In the same way, secondments to international organisations, like the United Nations or the European External Action Service, can be problematic and can put an intolerable strain on resources at home. Many of the Irish officials who went to work in the European institutions in the early years of our EU membership are now approaching retirement age. We should be working in a focused way to encourage Irish officials to work there.

Meagre resources at Iveagh House have a further impact on our diplomatic relations. There are not enough staff to cultivate relationships properly with the foreign diplomatic corps in Dublin, some of whom believe they have a lack of access both to Department officials and politicians in Dublin. This produces a major wasted opportunity to increase the effectiveness of our bilateral relationships, particularly with smaller EU member states, by engaging more intensively with diplomats here.

Another issue, as far as Iveagh House is concerned, is the need for a dedicated policy unit to formulate policy in a long-term way. Again, Iveagh House does not have such a unit but it should. The committee will have noticed that none of the changes I have advocated will be possible unless the Government decides to spend more money on diplomacy. However, I maintain that in a world where the global influences the domestic so powerfully and immediately, it would be money well spent.