Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the proposal, emanating from the Department of Finance, that Ireland reduce its number of embassies and network of consulates worldwide, reportedly from 76 to 55; his further views on whether such a move would damage Ireland internationally and impair relationships with a number of countries, with attendant cultural, business and trading dangers. [31910/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the damage which may be caused to Irish-Canadian relations if reported plans to close the Irish embassy there are enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31911/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 50: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the damage which may be caused to Irish-Mexican relations if reported plans to close the Irish embassy there are enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31912/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the damage which may be caused to relations between Ireland and Latin America if reported plans to close embassies in the region are enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31913/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 60: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which it is expected or intended to establish further embassies abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31959/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 to 51, inclusive, and 60 together.

Ireland has a network of 75 resident diplomatic and consular Missions abroad, as well as the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Secretariat in Belfast and the North-South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat in Armagh. The Irish diplomatic network provides essential consular services, diplomatic representation and commercial services overseas. A number of missions also play a key role in the delivery of Ireland's development aid programme. Our network is modest in scale when compared to other equivalent European States; three quarters of our missions consist of only two or three diplomatic officers.

The size and scale of our diplomatic network is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis, and as I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, any expansion can only be undertaken having regard to clear national priorities and available resources. The significant budgetary pressures currently being faced by my Department, as is the case for all Government Departments, means that any decision to open a new Mission overseas must be on the basis of an anticipated significant return for the State. The United Arab Emirates was identified as a country where increased diplomatic representation would offer significant potential economic value to Ireland. Accordingly, and in order to take advantage of this potential, the Government decided to establish an Embassy in Abu Dhabi, which will open this Autumn. In addition, the Strategic Review of US-Ireland Relations was launched by the Taoiseach in March of this year. The Review recommended the opening of a Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta. The implementation of this recommendation is currently under consideration.

In light of the current challenges in the public finances, the Government is examining all areas of expenditure to identify where savings can be made, while minimising the impact on front-line services provided to the public. Any consideration of possible Embassy closures will be made in this context, such as the recent decision to close the Consulate General in Cardiff. I understand that the submission made to the Special Group on Public Sector Numbers and Expenditure Programmes by the Department of Finance set out a number of scenarios for mission closures to include the possible closure of Consulates and Embassies in North America and also Embassies in Asia and Europe. My Department also made a submission to the Special Group which is available at the following link:http://www.finance.gov.ie/documents/dfa.pdf .

The report from the Special Group on Public Sector Numbers and Expenditure Programmes made some recommendations relating to my Department, including the reduction in the size of our diplomatic network. However, it did not specify particular missions for possible closure but rather gave a proposed saving of €14 million which the group believe could be achieved through the closure of 20 missions. These recommendations, along with all the recommendations set out by the Special Group, will be considered by Government as part of the Estimates process.

In the Government's "Smart Economy" document, published at the end of 2008, my Department committed to reviewing its network of Missions abroad in order to ensure that they are operating at an optimum level of efficiency, are delivering tangible services and outcomes for the benefit of Ireland and its citizens, and that resources are aligned with our strategic objectives. The review, which is ongoing, is all the more important in the light of current budgetary pressures. In carrying out this review, full account will need to be taken of both the operational and reputational costs and the potential financial savings of Embassy closures. I can assure the Deputy that my objective, to the greatest extent possible and within the limits of available resources, is to maintain the capability of Ireland's diplomatic network overseas in order to promote our key objectives abroad, particularly support for our economic recovery.

Questions Nos. 52 and 53 answered with Question No. 43.