Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This programme provides the framework for the Department's role in securing Ireland's influence in EU outcomes through maintaining and growing strong relationships with the European Union institutions and other member states. The programme equally supports Ireland's contribution to the EU's global engagement on peace and security, trade and development, as well as security in the wider European region.

The allocation for this programme in 2016 is €19.3 million, compared to €19.5 million in 2015. The allocation supports the operation of our network of missions to Europe, including our 28 embassies in EU member states and the permanent representation in Brussels, allowing us to grow our influence. Our mission network operates on behalf of the whole of Government, promoting and securing our interests with our most important partners in Europe. This allocation is also used to fund projects which seek to further Ireland's foreign policy priorities under the EU common foreign and security policy.

The 2016 allocation is €418,000. Expenditure is divided into two categories, monetary payments under the Common, Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, and support for voluntary contributions to projects promoting Ireland's foreign policy priorities under the Common, Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, framework, as outlined in our foreign policy document, The Global Island: Ireland's Foreign Policy in a Changing World.

In terms of outputs, by end June this year there will have been 32 incoming-outgoing visits by Ministers and senior officials to our European partners, keeping us on track to reach 50 visits by the end of this year. This includes 15 visits to western Europe, seven to eastern Europe and four to the Caucasus, Moldova and Central Asia. The outputs identified under this programme reflect the work of the Department in building our presence within the European Union and ensuring a strong flow of analysis and strategic information from our mission network to the appropriate and relevant areas of government.

The programme remains broadly on target but we are incurring additional security costs at some of our missions following the terrorists attacks in major European cities, as referred to earlier by Deputy Grealish.