Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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637. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to introduce incentives to Irish emigrants returning home from abroad to help them to reintegrate into society, for example, to get car insurance, set up bank accounts, access to credit and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20003/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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In my role as Minister for the Diaspora, and in particular through my role as Chair of the Inter-departmental Committee on the Irish Abroad, which was established in the Government’s 2015 ‘Global Irish – Ireland’s Diaspora Policy’ document, I work to facilitate the cross-Governmental effort to ensure coherence in Government policy, and to see that issues being highlighted as potential barriers disproportionately impacting on citizens returning to Ireland having lived overseas are addressed appropriately.

The Departments represented on this Committee have responsibility for issues under their competence and specific policies are matters for those Departments; such that car insurance, bank accounts and access to credit are the responsibility of the Department of Finance.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides significant funding and support through the Emigrant Support Programme to a number of organisations that work with citizens who wish to return to Ireland. Over the last decade over €4 million has been allocated to the Irish based organisations working with returning emigrants and I am pleased to note that their 2016 funding saw an increase of €60,000 on the 2015 figure.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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638. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if funding will be provided in 2017 for the diaspora engagement fund in view of the benefits it has been for small communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20082/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is currently considering strategic priorities around all aspects of our engagement with the global Irish as part of the review of the implementation of the 2015 Global Irish - Ireland's Diaspora Policy.

Any decisions on the future of our engagement with diaspora communities will be made on the basis of that strategic review and will be announced later in the year.