Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Smith asked me to outline the lead units in the Department. The Europe division is the lead unit for all 29 bilateral missions in Europe, as well as the permanent representation of Ireland to the European Union and the mission to the OECD and UNESCO. The Anglo-Irish division is the lead unit for 12 missions in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, as well as the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat in Belfast and the North South Ministerial Conference in Armagh. The development co-operation division is the lead unit for ten missions in Africa and the embassy and aid programme in Vietnam. The Middle East unit is the lead unit for five missions in the Middle East, including the embassy in Cairo. The Asia Pacific unit is the lead unit for seven missions. The Latin America and Caribbean unit is the lead unit for three missions. The political division is the lead unit for four multilateral missions to the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe.

Deputy Smith raised the possible use of representatives from other Departments and State agencies who are abroad. I am examining how we might get a better overall use. If one takes the totality of those representing Ireland abroad, be they diplomats from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, representatives from individual Departments who have a particular representational role in some countries and areas and representatives of agencies, one can see we need to get a more co-ordinated and overall representation abroad. It is something we have been considering in the context of the Export Trade Council which has brought together not just my Department but representatives from other Departments and State agencies to co-ordinate and to give a single focus to our trade and investment strategy abroad.

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