Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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433. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of times he has spoken formally with the Irish Consulate General in Sydney since 1 March 2020. [12719/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Although I have not had occasion to speak formally to the Consulate General during the past year, I am kept fully informed of the Consulate General’s activities by officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs who are in almost daily communication with the Consulate General’s Office.

I wish to pay tribute to the staff of the Consulate General for their exceptional efforts during the early stages of the pandemic when they provided extraordinary assistance to the Irish community in New South Wales. Despite pandemic restrictions, the Consulate General has continued without interruption to provide consular services to the large Irish and Irish-Australian community in that region. In addition to providing consular services, the Consulate General has continued its broad range of activities promoting Ireland’s interests, especially in promoting our economic links with New South Wales.