Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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111. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will confirm that the report in a newspaper article (details supplied) is accurate in stating that his Department's report found that one-person embassies are fraught with difficulty and suffer from drawbacks, including that such embassies should be monitored from the perspective of health and safety, isolated working environment, risk to business objectives and operational capacity; the steps that have been taken to address these concerns in respect of the Irish Embassy to the Holy See; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44648/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Report in question, which is available at , is a Value-for-Money and Policy Review (VFMPR) that examined the work of Ireland’s bilateral diplomatic network in the other 26 EU member states over the years 2008-2011, a period of significant challenge for Ireland. The review was directed by a Steering Committee chaired by an independent chairperson and included key officials from four Government Departments. The Report makes a number of recommendations including relating to the challenges associated with the operation of one-diplomat missions.

Overall, the review found that the work of our bilateral mission network in other EU member states plays a key role in helping Ireland maintain close relations with its EU partners and in promoting Ireland’s economic and other interests. It also notes that, with quite modest resources, the missions do what they set out to do or are called upon to do; that they provide a platform to advance Ireland’s policy objectives within the EU; and that in a variety of ways, these missions make important and timely contributions to promoting and protecting Ireland’s strategic interests, including helping rebuild Ireland’s reputation.

In discussing one-diplomat missions, the report notes the advantages and drawbacks of such representations and also highlights locations where such a model is not realistic - such as in countries where, for example, there are high demands for consular services - and the skills set required to oversee a one-diplomat mission. The advantages include reduced operating costs and the ability to maintain an active presence on the ground in a time of reduced resources, while the drawbacks include a high administrative burden on the Head of Mission.

The Department has a duty of care in respect of all staff serving abroad regardless of the size or the location of the mission. We currently operate twelve one-diplomat missions (10 in Europe and 2 in the US) and, while there is no sense that these missions are “fraught with difficulty”, we do recognise that one-diplomat missions will from time to time require additional assistance from HQ or a neighbouring mission. Our Human Resources Unit has the capacity to make temporary assignments to cover leave or other absences, while Lead Units at HQ continue to make greater use of video conference facilities for ongoing engagement with missions as well as for planning and training purposes. In addition, the upcoming Heads of Mission conference in early 2015 will provide an opportunity to discuss the operations of these missions with the relevant Heads of Mission.