Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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356. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures he has implemented to support, assist and safeguard Irish citizens travelling abroad in summer 2016 to sporting and other events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15886/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Government is acutely conscious of the safety and security issues associated with major sporting events. My Department is therefore actively engaging with the authorities and key stakeholders in France and Brazil in order that all appropriate measures are taken to ensure that Irish citizens travelling to both Euro 2016 and the Rio Olympic Games are safe. The primary responsibility, of course, for the security of visitors in these countries lies with local police services, and we know that French and Brazilian authorities are taking security around these major events very seriously.

Detailed travel advice is available on my Department’s website – www.dfa.ie– and the Department’s new TravelWise app which was launched on 10 June, and I would encourage all those considering travel to these or any other destinations this summer to study it carefully.

Our advice to Irish citizens travelling to France is that they should exercise a high degree of caution. In view of the exceptional security situation in France following the terrorist attacks on 13 November, my Department has been developing and implementing a comprehensive action plan to ensure that our Embassy in Paris is equipped to deal with the likely increased consular demand over the coming weeks. My Department has also been working closely with UEFA and the relevant national and local authorities in France, and with An Garda Síochána, the Football Association of Ireland and travel industry representatives in Ireland on planning and preparation.

The Embassy has been reinforced with an additional five experienced officers redeployed from Headquarters in Dublin. Officials have been present on the ground in Paris and will be present in Bordeaux and Lille around match dates to provide advice and emergency consular assistance to Irish citizens in difficulty.

There is a dedicated Euro 2016 consular phone line operational 7 days a week from 10 June at 00 33 1441 76780. Specialised consular and emergency response training has been delivered to the staff at the Embassy and additional communications and IT equipment has also been provided in order to enhance our consular capacity.

My Department has also prepared an information campaign targeted at travelling football fans to help them be as well-informed as possible. I launched this campaign on April 18 highlighting the “First Eleven” travel tips for fans. A dedicated microsite has been published in order to relay all of the Department’s key information in relation to the tournament: .

Fifty thousand printed information leaflets, providing travel advice and key emergency contact details, were distributed at the recent friendly matches in Dublin and Cork, and more have been provided to airports, ferry ports, and Irish pubs in France, as well as being available on-line and on social media. Both the aforementioned Department website and TravelWise app will remain a valuable source of information for Irish citizens abroad, and will be an important communications tool for our Government’s consular response in the event of any emergency abroad.

The Department’s current travel advice for Brazil advises Irish citizens to exercise normal precautions. Particular risks highlighted include high crime levels, road safety issues and mosquito-borne diseases, including the Zika virus. In contrast to Euro 2016, the number of Irish citizens expected to travel to Brazil is relatively low, based on estimates from the Olympic Council of Ireland, with whom my Department is in regular contact. The Embassy of Ireland in Brasilia and Consulate General in São Paulo have beenactively engaging with the Brazilian authorities in relation to all aspects of planning for the tournament, including regarding policing and ensuring that visiting Irish citizens attending Rio 2016 stay safe. A temporary Consulate will be established in Rio de Janeiro for the duration of the Olympics and Paralympics tournaments.

My Department remains in close and continuous contact with the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the Zika virus and additional health-related concerns. Travel Advice in response to the Zika Virus outbreak, based on the advice of the HSE and the WHO, is available on the Department’s website. This specifically and strongly recommends that pregnant women consider postponing their travel to Zika-affected areas. We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to regularly update our travel advice in this regard.

I encourage all citizens travelling to both France and Brazil to pay close attention to updates to the travel advice on the website and TravelWise app, check their passports are in date and arrange comprehensive travel insurance before they depart. I would also urge all travelling fans to register their details on our Citizens’ Registration facility, also available through our website.