Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of staff in each embassy and consulate in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30662/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s diplomatic network of Missions around the world is critical to the achievement of our foreign policy and trade goals such as ensuring the efficient delivery of passport and consular services to our citizens, supporting emigrant organisations and outreach to the diaspora and other networks of influence.

Our Embassies and Consulates contribute directly to safeguarding our interests in negotiations on the UK exit from the European Union and they are helping to ensure that Ireland plays a full part in shaping the future development of the European Union.

The work of my Department in promoting a more just, fair, secure and sustainable world continues through mission engagement with multilateral institutions and agencies, including those of the United Nations, and via implementation of the Irish Aid programme in partner countries.

Our staff in Embassies and Consulates also make a strong contribution to job creation, exports, tourism and education in Ireland by assisting Irish businesses overseas in close cooperation with State Agencies.

Our capacity to deliver on these key goals will increase with the expansion of my Department’s Mission network abroad under the Global Ireland Initiative. This includes the opening of Embassies in Wellington, Amman, Santiago, Monrovia and Bogotá, and the opening of Consulates General in Vancouver, Mumbai and Cardiff, Los Angeles, and Frankfurt. New Missions will open in Rabat, Kyiv and Manila by the end of 2020.

Our Missions are staffed by Departmental officers posted from headquarters; by staff seconded from other Government Departments in certain missions including the Permanent Representation in Brussels and visa officers seconded to missions from the Department of Justice, and by locally recruited staff.