Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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263. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a report on the activity of the Consulate General of Ireland in Frankfurt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2517/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Consulate General opened in October 2019 as an important part of our efforts to strengthen Ireland’s presence in Germany. The opening of the Consulate General is a clear sign of Ireland’s commitment to deepening its relationship with Germany.

The Consulate currently operates in a temporary location. Work is ongoing to identify a long-term property option that will function as an Ireland House. The Consulate hopes to move into its permanent Ireland House location by the end of 2021 which would serve as the major platform for the Irish community, business and cultural activities in the region.

The Consulate’s priority objectives include:

- Establishing strong relationships with the Government, Parliament and Ministries in Hessen, the Rhineland Palatinate and Saarland as well as with the European Central Bank and Single Supervisory Mechanism in Frankfurt.

- Promoting Ireland’s economic reputation and build business links in the region.

- Undertaking an intensive public diplomacy programme, with a media and cultural promotion focus, to develop Ireland’s profile and image.

The Consulate General works closely with the Embassy of Ireland in Berlin, under the overall direction of the Ambassador, including on the implementation of the Germany-Ireland Joint Plan of Action for Enhanced Bilateral and EU Co-operation.

The Consulate is playing an important role in developing the strong partnership between Ireland and Germany. It has built relationships at senior levels with the State Governments and their economic agencies to promote Irish interests.

It also works closely with the Irish State Agencies based in Frankfurt (IDA and Tourism Ireland) and Düsseldorf (Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia) to promote Irish economic and business interests. The Consulate General is actively involved in working with Irish companies in deepening links with the region.

The Consulate also provides consular assistance on an on-going basis, often on Covid-19 related-issues, particularly in view of Frankfurt’s status as a major hub airport. The 2,000-strong Irish community living in the region have benefited from the shorter distance when accessing consular services and in participating in the many outreach activities organised by the Consulate. The Consulate is also extensively involved in the promotion of Irish culture, including through supporting Ireland’s presence at the annual Frankfurt Book Fair and organising regular cultural activities such as book clubs and performances of Irish music and dance.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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264. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the plans in place to increase Ireland's diplomatic presence within EU institutions post Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2518/21]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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266. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if additional civil servants will be seconded to EU institutions post Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2520/21]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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267. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the new EU jobs strategy can be expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2521/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 264, 266 and 267 together.

As the Deputy will know, it has become clear that there will soon be a significant reduction in the number of Irish officials in senior roles in the EU Institutions, as many high-ranking Irish officials will soon retire. At the current rates of recruitment of Irish permanent staff, we are far below the replacement rate. This poses a serious challenge. It is clear that more needs to be done in this area. That is why the Programme for Government commits to the development of a new strategy to increase the number of Irish people in the EU Institutions.

Last October, the Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne T.D., launched a public consultation on Ireland’s EU jobs strategy. In total, the consultation received 124 responses. I am grateful for the high level of public engagement with the consultation, and the thoughtful suggestions received. Submissions to the consultation identified factors contributing to the low number of Irish people entering the institutions, and suggested steps the new strategy could take to address the issues identified.

Following this consultation, officials in my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are working together to develop Ireland’s overall policy approach to EU staffing.

The strategy will include proposals aimed at increasing the number of Irish people securing positions within the EU Institutions. While work on the strategy is ongoing, I hope it will be published in the coming months.

The new strategy will build upon existing work carried out by my Department in promoting careers in the EU through the EU Jobs campaign. The campaign publicises EU career opportunities, including traineeships, in Ireland’s third-level institutions. The campaign also provides support to Irish citizens who have applied for permanent jobs in the EU Institutions, providing information and advice for the duration of the recruitment competition. Those interested can go to www.dfa.ie/eujobs for more information.

It will also include a commitment to increase the number of Irish civil servants seconded annually to the EU Institutions. The Centrally Funded Scheme (CFS) for Seconded National Experts was established in 2014 to support the secondment of Irish Government officials to the EU. The scheme, which provides for secondments to international as well as EU institutions, had a budget of €1.8 million for 2020. In 2020, it financed the secondment of twenty-six Irish officials to the EU Institutions. The CFS budget for 2021 has been increased to €2 million. This means that Ireland will have the capacity to second more officials to the Institutions than in any year since the scheme was established in 2013.

In addition to this scheme, the National Expert in Professional Training programme is also open to Irish civil servants, giving Irish officials the opportunity to have a short-term placement in the EU’s Institutions.

From time to time, positions within the European External Action Service (EEAS) open to Irish officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs. These placements usually take the form of secondments or temporary assignments from the Department to the EEAS. A total of 9 Irish diplomats currently work for the EEAS, either at its Headquarters in Brussels or in one of the 140 EU Delegations located around the world.

In addition, Irish citizens also take part in the Junior Professionals in Delegation Programme run by the EEAS and the European Commission, and places highly-qualified junior professionals from Member States in EU Delegations around the world. The application period for this programme is open now and will close on 31 January. The EU has made two places available to Irish candidates under this year’s programme. My Department also intends to finance an additional two places for Irish candidates this year. Those interested in applying for the programme should consult the EEAS and DFA websites for more information.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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265. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there are plans to increase Ireland's diplomatic presence within EU member states post Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2519/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Managing the response to Brexit continues to be a priority for my Department. The approach has been to prioritise effective policy and operational measures across the Department to manage Brexit impacts, with additional staff assigned or recruited as required.

In recent years my Department has established new posts in Madrid, Berlin, Paris, Rome, The Hague and Warsaw as well as at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels in preparation for Brexit. Ireland maintains an Embassy in each of the EU Member State capitals and, in recognition of Frankfurt's role as the financial capital of the Euro area, a new Consulate was opened there in 2019.

The 'Global Ireland 2025' initiative will continue to support efforts to grow and diversify export markets, inward investment and tourism and underpin economic recovery. The strategy will ensure that Ireland is better positioned to build the alliances necessary to advance its interests and defend national positions in the post-Brexit EU, while also helping to secure our deep and positive relationship with the UK and its constituent parts into the future.

In addition, my Department has increased staffing in the Embassy in London, opened a Consulate in Cardiff and recently announced the opening of a new Consulate in Manchester later this year.

The Programme for Government provides for further strengthening of the diplomatic and state agency network across the European Union and its neighbourhood.

Further strengthening of staffing in the existing EU Mission network remains under review.