Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's points are all fair. We have a brilliant team in London and we need it because the relationship between Britain and Ireland is under some strain at the moment because of the challenges of Brexit. We have a really good team in London, led by our ambassador, and they are doing a good job but if they need more people, we will appoint more. That is the truth of it. The relationship that we have with the UK is our most important relationship. That is why our consulate in Cardiff has reopened and why we will be opening another consulate in an English city to complement what we are doing in London and Edinburgh. We are constantly reviewing whether we need to add more people, just like we have done in Paris and Berlin. In Berlin, for example, we have added an arts officer because we believe there is a lot of work to do in terms of building connections with Germany around the arts, literature, music and so on. We are working with other Government Departments to make sure that our teams are appropriate for the challenges we face. Clearly, the biggest challenge we face at the moment is Brexit and trying to find a way forward through the diplomatic channels that we have in London, in particular, is a big priority for us.

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