Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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131. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the arrangements Ireland has in place for a liaison office to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; the resources that are available to this office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24234/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland's cooperation with NATO is conducted through the Partnership for Peace (PfP). PfP has since been joined both by states who wish to become NATO members and by states that do not, including neutral and non-aligned states such as Finland, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. Russia is also a member. PfP has since been joined both by states who wish to become NATO members and by states that do not, including neutral and non-aligned states such as Finland, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. Russia is also a member. Ireland became a member of the PfP and its political counterpart, the Euro Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), in December 1999. At that time, Dáil Éireann approved a Presentation Document setting out overall priorities for Ireland's participation, the foremost priority being cooperation in peacekeeping and crisis management.

In 2000 the Department established a Liaison Office in Brussels to represent Ireland at the PfP and EAPC. The Ambassador to Belgium is Head of the Liaison Office and the Office is staffed by this Department, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. In total there are 5 staff assigned to this Office, and its annual budget in 2013 is €268,437.