H.E. Mr. Dan Mulhall:

I certainly have better access in Britain that I would have had in previous countries where I have been posted at different levels. I think our access to the key people in Britain is actually really very impressive. During the week I met the governor of the Bank of England, Mr. Mark Carney. I have no difficulty in accessing people in the British system, business, public service and politics. Yesterday I was at a First World War centenary event which the Prime Minister, David Cameron, hosted in the garden of No. 10 and I had a chance to meet the Prime Minister and have a short but interesting discussion with him. The night before I was at a function in the Italian embassy, which was organised in conjunction with the Centre for European Reform, which is a broadly pro European think-tank in London which is run by a former economist-journalist, Charles Grant, whom I knew from my days as a press officer in Brussels back in the 1990s. There I had a chance to meet and talk to Michael Gove. I was at Buckingham Palace a few weeks ago for the garden party and I had a chance to speak to Her Majesty and other members of the royal family.

In Britain access for diplomats and Irish ambassadors is very good at the moment. I take every possible opportunity to meet key people in the British system to explain our thinking on European issues, Northern Ireland and the various issues mentioned by members of this committee. I believe the relationship has never been better than it is today. After all, I am the 19th person to represent Ireland in London as head of mission since Independence but I am the first to have experienced a State visit. This says something about the nature of the relationship.

Deputy Eric Byrne mentioned the former British ambassador to Ireland, Julian King, who was here during the Queen of England's State visit to Ireland. Not only am in contact with him but he was at the Irish Embassy last night to attend our event marking the centenary of the Home Rule Act. I had a conversation with him and yesterday he gave a briefing at the UK Foreign Office on last week's EU summit. He is now director general at the Foreign Office with responsibility for European affairs and this indicates how strong the connection is between our countries. We do not lack in opportunities to put our message across to key people throughout the British system and this is an impressive aspect of that system. It is open to contact and the views of others, especially Ireland's views.

We have contact with around 200 organisations that at one time or another received or applied for funding from the emigrant support programme. The Irish community in Britain is 500,000 strong and it is elderly, compared to the Polish, Indian and Pakistani communities. The average age of an Irish immigrant to Britain is far higher than that of other immigrant communities. The Irish community has particular issues that must be addressed. Not all of the organisations mentioned are welfare organisations - some are county associations and so on. They are important because they provide support, though we tend not to fund county associations unless they are carrying out a project that fits into the remit of the emigrant support programme. I spend many Saturday nights between October and April attending annual dinners for county associations. They usually take place at the Crown Moran Hotel in Cricklewood, which I am sure some of the committee members have attended. I believe the Irish community requires particular support because it has more elderly and vulnerable people than other immigrant communities.

The issue of Britain and the European Union is receiving considerable attention within our system at the moment but we must remember that much could happen in the coming years. We should not make assumptions about how the debate will unfold but we are monitoring it very carefully. I know people in Dublin and throughout the Irish system are genuinely concerned as to how the debate evolves and the Embassy will continue to keep or colleagues in Dublin and other interested Irish parties fully informed. It is a very important issue from an Irish point of view.

We do have contact with those affected by the Magdalen laundries. There was a big event at the Embassy last year before I arrived - the Taoiseach met them and I understand it was a very emotional occasion

In terms of prisoner issues, we support the Irish chaplaincy and the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas. We have a role in this area and I have dedicated colleagues at the Embassy. Last year we were involved in a total of 219 consular cases and that amounts to four cases per week. This only covers cases where there is a substantial engagement by the Embassy with an Irish citizen who has a consular problem, which could be anything, including theft of a passport or possessions. We have a great deal of contact with Irish people who are either based in Britain or passing through London. We issue some 40,000 passports and 7,500 visas per year. The Embassy has 51 members of staff to cover all of these issues.