Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to takes Questions Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, together.

The Government continues to implement Global Ireland: Ireland's Global Footprint to 2025. Despite the constraints of the pandemic, considerable progress has continued to be made, as set out in the Global Ireland Progress Report published in May 2021. This includes: a further significant expansion in our network of missions and agency offices; new strategies for IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland; our success in securing a seat on the United Nations Security Council; and support for the cultural sector, including for the new Irish Arts Centre which I was pleased to be able to dedicate in New York. Since the publication of that report, further progress has been achieved in a number of areas and more work is planned for the year ahead.

The Government has approved the opening of embassies in Dakar, Senegal and Tehran and of consulates general in Toronto, Lyon and Miami. A new office is also being opened in San Francisco by Tourism Ireland, and IDA Ireland is appointing representatives in Israel and Argentina. A strategy to guide Ireland's relations with Latin America and the Caribbean will be launched on 15 February.

As the House will be aware, as a result of the pandemic it was not possible to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the traditional way last year, with most events moving online. We hope that it may be possible to resume some in-person events this year, depending on public health developments, which remain the most important consideration. This year will mark the 13th Tourism Ireland Global Greening, which saw a record 725 sites and landmarks in 71 countries take part in 2021.

The Government is currently preparing a new trade and investment strategy to advance Ireland's trade and investment goals, which will see us sustainably grow and diversify our export markets, including for our SME sector, and develop and expand our foreign direct investment, FDI, base. We are also continuing to invest in developing new markets for Irish food - 2021 saw Minister-led virtual trade missions to Asia, Africa, the EU, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is hoped that in-person missions can recommence, when it is safe to do so, in 2022.

Ireland is playing an active role on the UN Security Council, leading efforts to secure humanitarian assistance in Syria and achieving an agreement on peacekeeping transitions. We have also sought to highlight the dreadful conflict in Ethiopia and its humanitarian consequences. In September, I chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council on the issue of climate and security. We will continue work on this issue. In budget 2022, the Government increased our overseas development assistance, ODA, budget by €140 million, bringing Ireland's investment in ODA to over €1 billion for the first time.

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