Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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98. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the protocols in place to assist Irish citizens in countries where we have no ambassador or embassy in times of terrorist attacks, such as the recent tragedy in Tunisia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28215/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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We have all been deeply shocked and saddened by the recent event in Tunisia, where three Irish citizens lost their lives in this terrible tragedy. I am sure that the whole House will join me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to the families of the deceased at this especially difficult time.

In countries where there is no resident Irish mission, diplomatic representation and consular assistance is provided to Irish citizens through our network of Honorary Consuls and by the accredited non-resident Irish Embassy. In the case of Tunisia, Ireland is represented in country by an Honorary Consul and through secondary accreditation by the Embassy of Ireland in Madrid.

Upon the Department learning of the incident, our Consular Emergency Response Plan was immediately activated. The Embassy in Madrid was immediately notified by the Consular Division of the Department. Embassy officials then quickly ascertained through its information network in Tunisia, the extent of the attack and the likely numbers of Irish citizens who might have been involved.

TheDepartment's standing Consular Response Centre was immediately activated to offer assistance and advice to citizens in Tunisia and their families in Ireland.

The Ambassador and Consul based at the Irish Embassy in Madrid and accredited to Tunisia flew on the first available and most direct flight to Tunisia, arriving there a number of hours after the incident. They made contact with the Irish citizens in the region, provided consular support to the families of the deceased, met with the relevant authorities on the ground and maintained constant contact with the Consular team in Dublin.

Officials at my Department both at home and across the network of missions abroad, regularly review their crisis response plans so as to best serve and protect Irish citizens in such instances. In dealing with and responding to the tragic events of Tunisia, having these response plans in place allowed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and this Government to appropriately meet the needs of Irish citizens who were involved in the tragedy.

In addition to the on-the-ground response that was mounted, the Government's Travel Advice for Tunisia was updated very soon after the incident. This decision was taken in the light of the attack and informed by consultations with various actors on the ground (such as Tunisian security forces, other EU partner missions in Tunis) who were well placed to advise. The Government's travel advice for Tunisia, as for all other countries, is kept under constant review by the Consular Division of my Department and updated as may be deemed necessary.

In the specific case of the travel advice for Tunisia, having consulted relevant agencies and our international partners, our travel advice was changed again on Friday 10 July, to advise against all non-essential travel, the second-highest warning category on our five-point scale for travel advice. We are now encouraging Irish visitors currently in Tunisia to review whether their presence in Tunisia is essential and, where this is not the case, we are advising them to leave by commercial means.

Our Embassy in Madrid, which is accredited to Tunisia, has been notifying Irish citizens resident in the country of the changes to the travel advice.

Irish citizens travelling or living abroad are strongly advised to register their travel and contact details online through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's website. Registration enables the Department to establish contact with citizens more quickly in the event of an emergency. In having an overview of the number of Irish citizens who may be in an affected region, the Department is better facilitated in reaching, assisting and accounting for them when it activates its established protocols in responding to crisis situations.