James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. At the outset, I acknowledge that the Department of Foreign Affairs provides huge service to the State and, generally, it has been very positive throughout Brexit and Ireland securing a position on the UN Security Council. Off my own bat, I want to say the work that has been undertaken within the Department is very impressive and that should be acknowledged.

Obviously, 2020 was an interesting year with Covid and a few other major concerns the Department was dealing with. I want to get a better insight around the appointment process for special envoys. Obviously, we had a lot of controversy about that, particularly during 2021. How regularly would special envoys be accredited and appointed by the Department?