Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate her on her wedding but not on her answer. With all due respect, I know the Minister of State is stepping in for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, today but the response she has given is pretty much the same response I received to a parliamentary question last week. I welcome the announcement by the Taoiseach of a commitment to increase our diplomatic and business footprint across the world. Currently we have 61 embassies, seven multilateral missions and 11 consulate generals. We have just over 80 offices across the world and the Taoiseach has said that he wants to double that. If we double that, we will have 160 offices. What plans have actually been put in place? What costings have been done? Are there any priorities and if so, where? He said that the time span runs to 2025. When will we see the first new embassies open? I very much fear that this is just another one of Leo Varadkar's announcements, made for publicity. He was in Canada with his friend and he announced that he was going to double our global footprint. We have asked several serious questions. While we welcome the announcement, we are trying to get a handle on whether there is anything behind this but in this instance, there does not appear to be. I want to know what meetings have taken place between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of the Taoiseach. Have we any draft plan? Will the Minister be submitting a plan to the foreign affairs committee or to this House for discussion? When will the first new embassies actually open?

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