Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is very positive that no matter where one goes in the world, there is goodwill toward the Irish people. We have no negative colonial past. People seem to like our sense of humour and our music. We are not seen as a threat or not perceived as people with a hidden agenda.

It can be argued that we have a small pot of money to invest in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is a question of how best to use the available resources.

People spoke about the three embassies which were closed, ostensibly for financial reasons but I would argue the Iranian closure was probably more to do with global politics rather than financial reasons. The closure of the Vatican Embassy was probably due to other reasons also. I suppose a way around that would be an opening in the Vatican. That would probably be the simplest way around it and it would save a lot of money. One could probably argue there are historical links with the building there but at a time when this country is supposed to be on its knees financially, perhaps it is one of the buildings we should consider selling off and perhaps investing in something else. There is an advantage to owning rather than renting. However, this country faces fiscal problems. I do not know how people would feel if we started to open embassies all over the world if there is not some sort of financial benefit, trade benefit or otherwise. It must be done sensibly and slowly and explained to people.

The United States, St. Patrick's Day and the amount of work involved was mentioned. I was there recently and spoke to different groups, some of which were quite critical. In the past, the embassy - this probably applies not only to the embassy in the United States - was not doing enough in terms of outreach. We were relying on the same individuals, such as the "Ted Kennedys" in the United States, and we needed to reach out to the new kids on the block, such as the Tea Party, and that we need to build up a profile. I suppose that is one of the positives we found in terms of immigration reform. We are pushing right out and are going to the mid-west, the south and into virgin territory in terms of Irish connections. There is the Scots Irish connection also.

Could we do the same in other countries? We have a large diaspora in Argentina, where there are people with German and Spanish backgrounds. We need to use that goodwill and the diaspora as perhaps a listening posts in terms of what is happening in countries in regard to politics, the economy and so on. Is there any way to tie them in? Again, there would not be a huge cost factor.

What was said about language jumps out. There should be opportunities but I am not sure about the monetary aspect. If people have languages, I would like to think they would move up the ranks more quickly in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. There needs to be a mechanism for people to learn languages but I would be horrified if I thought somebody in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had to pay for language classes. If that is the case, it needs to be looked at.

I refer to the Scottish issue and the unpredictable consequences in terms of settlements and so on. I would be more worried about a passive approach from the British and Irish Governments in regard to the North than the possible break up in regard to Scotland or Wales. I would be interested to hear Mr. Staunton's views.

The importance of European matters was mentioned. In terms of scrutiny, there is so much material coming out and one would not be able to go through all of the documents. We are supposed to scrutinise such material. A greater role for the Seanad in regard to scrutiny was mentioned yesterday. Does Mr. Staunton have any ideas in regard to that?