Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 102: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide the staffing levels in the Irish Embassy in Canberra, Australia; and the level of assistance it is permitted to provide to Irish citizens who appear before Australian courts. [18514/11]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 103: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if consular assistance is available in all the major Australian cities; and if, in view of the numbers of Irish citizens presently in Australia, he is satisfied that there is ease of access to such assistance to Irish citizens. [18515/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together.

My Department has two offices in Australia, the Embassy, which is located in Canberra and a Consulate General in Sydney. The Embassy in Canberra provides consular assistance to Irish citizens in all of the Australian states except New South Wales, which is catered for by the Consulate General in Sydney. The Embassy is also accredited to New Zealand and Fiji.

The staffing levels of the Embassy and Consulate General are as follows:

If an Irish citizen is brought before the Australian courts, they may request assistance from the Embassy. The Embassy cannot provide legal advice, but can provide information, including regarding legal aid and how to locate a local lawyer. The role of the Embassy is to ensure that the citizen is not disadvantaged, but is able to avail of all protections which would apply to an Australian citizen in the same circumstances. The Consular Services Section in Dublin can liaise with family at home and can request the Embassy/Consulate to raise any issues of concern that they may have with the authorities.

The huge geographical reach of the mission means that, of necessity, much of its consular assistance is provided to Irish citizens over the phone and by e-mail. I am satisfied that there is ease of access to consular assistance, including outside regular office hours, where both the Embassy and the Consulate provide an out of hours telephone answering service.

In emergencies, the Embassy works closely with Irish citizens in distress in Australia and where necessary, the Consular Assistance Section in Dublin liaises with their families at home. The Embassy and Consulate assist in providing linkages with contacts in Federal, State and local authorities across Australia. The Embassy can also, on request, link citizens with Irish community organisations in their area.

On an ongoing basis, the Embassy provides Irish citizens in Australia with advice and direction to services available from the Australian authorities.

While we do not have a physical presence in the major cities, I am pleased to have the opportunity to acknowledge the excellent support work undertaken across Australia by the Irish Welfare Bureaus, Support Associations and Irish Clubs, many of whom are supported by my Department's Emigrant Support Programme. We have provided grants in this regard to groups in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Wollongong. These groups complement the work of the Embassy and Consulate and provide support and local advice to visiting Irish citizens and to those experiencing difficulty while in Australia.