Mr. Niall Burgess:

I share the Deputy's concern. It is a concern not just for our embassy staff, but for Irish citizens who play a vital role in many of these regions. There have been two drivers of insecurity in the past couple of years. The first is the growth of humanitarian displacement and conflict in several of these areas, not only in the wider Horn of Africa, but across the Middle East and in parts of the Gulf region and large parts of the Sahel as well. It is apparent from our consular statistics that Irish citizens are to be found in all regions, including the most insecure, for many good reasons. The other driver has been the pandemic. This has been of real concern to us, including in regard to the protection of our staff also in areas that are not particularly subject to conflict or other forms of insecurity. We have extraordinarily dedicated staff across our embassy network in Africa, but many of them have been working in areas where the pandemic has taken a very significant toll through a period when they have not been able to benefit from vaccination.

Many have been working in areas where the pandemic has taken a significant toll and they have not been able to benefit from vaccination. We have strict protocols in place regarding the safety of our staff. Safety comes first. Most of our staff in Africa have been working from home where they can. On the other hand, we have new responsibilities on the UN Security Council and we have taken a lead in its efforts to address the conflict in Ethiopia. Security and safety have to be balanced with the job that we do. We have visited Tigray a number of times. Our ambassador and head of development in Ethiopia have been to Tigray, always in close consultation with the UN and local authorities, and under strict security protocols.