Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Reference was made earlier to the British referendum today. Has the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade made preparations in case of a British decision to leave the European Union, which I sincerely hope will not arise?

Do we have an embassy in each EU member state? If so, I presume we will continue to retain them. Also, over the years we have been very fortunate as a country in that we have had Irish people in senior positions in the European Union institutions. A few years ago concern was expressed that the number of Irish people in the institutions was declining. At one stage, it was thought a programme might be put in place to encourage people to apply for employment within the European Union institutions or to apply for transfer there from within the public service. Has there been any increase in the number of Irish people taking up employment in the institutions?