David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 95: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of honorary consuls and their location; the numbers of vacancies for the position of honorary consul; the locations of same; his plans to fill these vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13762/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are a total of 89 Honorary Consuls serving at present and the table below sets out where they are located.

Consideration of whether to appoint an Honorary Consul in a particular country or specific area within a country is taken on the basis of several criteria eg Consular needs, location of significant Irish community, business opportunities etc.. The Department requests all missions to keep the situation under review. Should a need for a new Honorary Consul be identified, I will give it active consideration.

When an Honorary Consul retires or resigns, we conduct a review of whether the position should remain in that particular location. Before any public announcement of an Honorary Consul appointment, it is necessary to get the agreement of the Receiving State.