Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 60: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total funding granted to the Irish embassy in Malawi for 2008 to 2012, inclusive; the total staff complement in the embassy; if he will further give an itemised list of the number and nature of consular assistance incidents by embassy staff for these years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10139/12]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Ireland's Embassy in Malawi was established in 2007. The opening of the Embassy coincided with the decision to designate Malawi as a priority country for the aid programme, with a commitment to the provision of long term strategic assistance.

The table below sets out the annual funding levels for the aid programme in Malawi since 2008. It also provides information on the number of Irish and permanent locally-recruited staff, who plan, manage, monitor, evaluate and audit the aid programme. Additional temporary staff are recruited on contract from time to time to meet the requirements in specific aid programme areas. The table sets out also the number of consular assistance incidents dealt with by the Embassy since 2008. As regards the nature of these incidents, the Deputy will appreciate it would not be appropriate to disclose information that may identify the personal details of Irish citizens.

The Embassy provides a full consular service to Irish citizens in Malawi. Assistance is provided to persons in cases of deaths, thefts and robberies, medical emergencies, passports, visas, and foreign birth registrations.

The Embassy also provides updates to Irish citizens on matters of personal safety and security, both generally and as situations of concern arise.