Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I do not think that is possible. The convention confers the immunities, so they are absolute privileges. Obviously, however, one depends on the goodwill of states and sponsoring governments to ensure missions act in an appropriate manner. It is not a charter for abuse.

I agree with Senator McDowell on the heads of missions of our overseas aid offices in Africa. The matter came to my attention soon after I took up this brief and I intend to address it in the context of the White Paper. I hope there will be a visible deployment of individuals in certain locations so we can give clarity to their roles. It seems odd that people who supervise budgets of €30 million and are involved in the serious business of developing countries and dispersing aid cannot call themselves ambassadors. I welcome the Senator's signal that he supports reform on the matter.

On the issues raised by Senator Mooney with regard to female ambassadors, a number of outstanding women occupy positions of responsibility within the Department. Ms Mary Whelan, who heads our delegation to the UN in Geneva and accompanied me to the WTO talks in Hong Kong, is one of our more brilliant diplomats. Ms Anne Anderson, our ambassador to France, received international recognition in the form of an award for her performance during the Irish Presidency of the EU, during which she conducted herself with aplomb. Ms Thelma Doran is our longest serving ambassador.