Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

What we need to do is to expand our footprint around the world. One point we mentioned was that in seven of our missions in European Union capitals we operate a mission with one diplomat. It is a very lean operation. What I would like to be able to do, and I hope we will be able to do this as resources become available, is to expand the number of places where we have resident missions. There are parts of the world where we need such missions in order to promote our trade and our country.

As I said in regard to the Holy See, it was always the case that we were going to examine it in light of changing circumstances, availability of resources and so on. That remains the case. The position has always been that both Italy and the Vatican want to have embassies that are located separately, but that is part of a discussion that is ongoing.

See this speech in context