Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle as ucht an seans a thabhairt dom an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to the House to deal with this matter. He will be aware that on 3 November, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade announced the Government's decision to close three Irish embassies, namely, the embassy in Iran, the embassy in Timor-Leste and the embassy to the Vatican. The reason given for this initiative was cost savings and Members now are aware the price tag placed on the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Vatican was a saving of €455,000, which comprised the cost of running that embassy in 2010.

Fianna Fáil has made it clear from the outset that it is opposed to the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Vatican because of the strong historical links with that post and its position as an important listening post for international affairs and because it is the religious centre point for the Catholic faith. The Irish Embassy to the Vatican represents one of Ireland's oldest diplomatic ties, with a diplomatic presence to the Holy See being established as long ago as 1929, when the Vatican State itself was founded. This embassy is being closed at a time when other countries, such as Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia are building up their diplomatic links with the Holy See.

The Tánaiste denied that the decision to close the embassy was a consequence of recent strained diplomatic relations and stated that the key consideration obviously was where savings could be made. He went on to state "I was anxious to retain resident missions in countries where there is a clear economic or trade interest". Therefore, it appears as though the foreign policy being pursued by the Government is founded solely on the basis of economic advantage rather than on broader diplomatic goals or on shared values. It is interesting that as I speak, a detailed debate is under way in one of the committees on the matter of Ireland's election-----

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