Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 100: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position of the Irish consul office in Ecuador which is not operational; his plans to provide staff to operate this office and deal with interviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9842/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Following the recent death of our honorary consul general in Quito, Mr. Richard Lacy, the issue of appointing a new honorary consul is under consideration. It is hoped to approve a nominee for the position shortly. However, before an appointment can be confirmed, the agreement of the Ecuadorian authorities must also be obtained. Pending finalisation of the appointment, Irish citizens in Ecuador may seek consular assistance from the embassy of another EU member state in Quito. They may also contact the Embassy of Ireland in Buenos Aires, which is monitoring the situation in Ecuador regarding consular assistance.

Honorary consuls are not full-time employees of the State but are private individuals who undertake, in addition to their normal work, to provide a range of consular services to Irish citizens abroad. As a condition of their appointment, honorary consuls undertake to put in place the necessary staff and office resources to provide these consular services.