Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate having the opportunity to do this. I am pleased to be here this afternoon to present the Revised Estimates for my Department for 2021. As you said, Chairman, I will focus on Vote 28, the Vote for the Department of Foreign Affairs, and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, will address the committee after that on Vote 27. Members are aware that there is considerably more money involved in the international co-operation vote than in the foreign affairs Vote.

Members will have seen the advance briefing notes provided by my Department on the two Votes, which summarise the main activities and priorities under each expenditure programme. For 2021, the overall gross estimate for the foreign affairs group of Votes, which is Votes 27 and 28, is €807 million. This represents a €30 million increase on the 2020 allocation. For 2021, the total gross expenditure allocation for Vote 28, including a capital allocation of €10.5 million, is €281 million. This is an overall increase of just over €10 million or 4%. This increase has been allocated to programmes to assist the Department in meeting the many challenges and opportunities we face in the coming year.

The Vote 28 priorities for this year include: the next phase of the passport reform programme; protecting our interests in a post-Brexit EU; Northern Ireland; maximising our position on the UN Security Council; the continued expansion of the overseas mission network under the Global Ireland 2025 initiative; provision for urgent capital building and security works in our network of missions abroad and; continuing investment in the Department's global ICT network. My Department, and our mission network around the world, plays a critical role in promoting and advancing Ireland's interests through our international engagement,and will provide international support to the Government's economic recovery plan announced on Tuesday. This is more important than ever as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. We will continue to strengthen our global presence, to ensure Ireland is ready to take advantage of new markets and opportunities and to continue to support our citizens and communities abroad. As has been proposed, I will now proceed to make a short introductory comment on each of the programmes in sequence.

Programme A relates to our people. Programme A, which has an allocation of €85.3 million, covers many key policy areas for my Department, including consular services and assistance, the Passport Service, our emigrant support programme and Northern Ireland. As Members might expect, some of the services have been put under a lot of pressure this year. Others to date have not been, such as the Passport Office, but we expect significant pressure in that office as international travel resumes. I can provide a detailed response if required. The Passport Service and the provision of consular services and assistance lies at the heart of the Department's engagement with citizens. This was clearly demonstrated during 2020, when the Department provided advice and assisted thousands of citizens across the world to return safely to Ireland or gave them advice on what to do in connection with international travel.

As the committee will be aware, the Passport Service scaled up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021. At that time, approximately 89,000 passport applications were on hand. The Passport Office has processed approximately 45% of these applications, which works out at more than 42,000 passports. Of the remainder, 70% are awaiting further action from the applicant, such as a new photograph or supporting documents. With the full resumption of services, the Passport Service is issuing around 25,000 passports each week, which is a lot. We are very focused on that. During the month of May we issued more than 81,000 passports, which is a dramatic increase on the position in recent months. By the end of quarter 2 this year, the passport online service for all application types will be available for 97% of applicants worldwide. With this continued expansion, it is vital that the highest possible standards are maintained in security and service delivery. The 2021 allocation includes a capital allocation of €3.5 million, to be focused on the updating of the passport operating system.

The 2021 allocation for the emigrant support programme remains at the same level as it was in 2020, which is €12.6 million, underlining the importance the Government attaches to supporting and deepening our bonds with our vibrant and diverse global Irish community.

I commend the work of my colleague Minister of State Brophy in this important area in his role as the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, and he will take any questions later on these matters.

This programme also deals with matters relating to Northern Ireland, North-South co-operation, and British-Irish relations, which are a particular emphasis of my Department now. My Department remains focused on strengthening our relationship with the UK in the post-Brexit context. I visited London in April, and I will travel there again immediately after this meeting, as it happens, for further meetings tonight and tomorrow. I look forward to participating in the British-Irish Council summit and a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference later this month. In July, we will open a consulate general in Manchester for the north of England. The Government has committed to providing €5 million in funding in 2021 to support the International Fund for Ireland’s programmes. Funding for the peace and reconciliation fund has also been increased significantly to €5 million, reflecting the Government’s ongoing commitment to building cross community reconciliation in Northern Ireland and in the Border regions more generally.

The focus of my work under programme B, which is concerned with Our Place in Europe and accounts for an allocation of €36.5 million, will be to safeguard Ireland’s interests in the broader context of Brexit and the future direction and policies of the European Union. It will also support Ireland’s contribution to the EU’s global engagement on peace, security, trade and development, as well as security in the wider European region. Programme B is also used to fund projects and proposals which further Ireland’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, priorities, support EU engagement and support the placing of Irish personnel in EU and international institutions. These projects have a very positive impact on Ireland’s profile internationally with respect to our key foreign policy objectives, and can help to shape and implement EU policies that work for Ireland.

The majority of current expenditure under programme C, which has an allocation of €56 million and is concerned with Our Values, consists of contributions to international organisations. The allocation set aside for these contributions, at €34 million, is at the same level as last year. We make a broad range of commitments under this heading to international organisations, predominantly UN bodies, concerned with areas such as refugees, healthcare and education, for example. Another key pillar of our international engagement under programme C is our input into the shaping and formulation of the EU’s CFSP, most notably at the monthly meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council, FAC, in which I participate.

Programme D, concerning Our Prosperity and which has an allocation €44 million, will focus in 2021 on assisting Irish businesses in the context of the UK’s exit from the EU and as we emerge from the pandemic. The programme also includes a capital allocation of €500,000 towards Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, which is now set to run from October 2021 to the end March 2022. We will continue to intensify our collaboration and co-operation with other Departments and State agencies, to ensure that we are effective and responsive to the needs and expectations of our citizens and our business sector. Our annual St. Patrick’s Day programme also comes under this expenditure allocation and this year, in partnership with other Departments and State agencies, we delivered a virtual programme, including more than 80 virtual receptions. They ended up having an extraordinary reach online on social media and video platforms and there are some real lessons to be learned from that experience for the future.

Finally, programme E, which has an expenditure allocation of €48.7 million to cover activities under the heading of Our Effectiveness, covers the management and development of staff, the management and mitigation of risk, ICT, property management and compliance with statutory and legal obligations. The programme also covers communication by the Department of its policies, objectives and activities to citizens at home and abroad.

That is a very quick overview of the main foreign affairs activities and priorities of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Defence for the year. I welcome comments and questions from committee Members on any of the foreign affairs policy programmes and the broader work of the Department, which I assure the committee is very busy.