Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

-----and diplomatic relations are being maintained with the Holy See.

I also agree with the Deputy that it is important to respect the position of the Catholic Church in this State and that is the reason when the Government made the decision to close the embassy in the Holy See, I communicated that decision personally and immediately to both Cardinal Brady and Archbishop Martin. I agree that on issues of human rights and the environment and a whole range of areas it is important for this country to be actively involved. This is why we will continue our engagement in the multilateral organisations which are established by the United Nations and other bodies for the conduct of those matters. We will work with the Holy See through those agencies.

Similarly, our aid programme is not channelled through the Holy See or any other state but is channelled in a bilateral way by the State and, in a number of cases, through multilateral agencies. That is why, in our review of the embassies, we believed it important to maintain our embassy network, especially in those countries in which we have a significant aid programme.

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