Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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374. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the cost incurred by his Department for the supply of Covid-19-related face masks and face coverings since March 2019 to date; the name of the supplier involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13892/22]

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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375. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the cost incurred by his Department for the supply of Covid-19-related hand sanitiser since March 2019 to date; the name of the supplier involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13910/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 374 and 375 together.

My Department attaches top priority to the health, safety and security of our staff both at headquarters and in our 97 diplomatic and consular missions worldwide.

From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, my Department has taken a range of steps to maximise the safety of our staff, in line with evolving Government guidelines. These measures have included detailed policies on travel and work place safety, risk assessments, investments in signage, air purifiers and perspex dividers in open plan offices.  Hand sanitiser was provided throughout all our HQ buildings for staff and visitors and face masks were supplied to frontline staff, including those maintaining our buildings and colleagues providing essential passport and consular services. Supplies of sanitiser and face masks were dispatched at the time of the initial onset of the pandemic to missions and were supplied subsequently where local purchase was not reliable. In most cases, missions themselves have funded these modest costs from their own administrative budgets.

Details of Headquarters’ investment in stocks of face masks and hand sanitiser in the period 2019-2022 to-date are set out in the following tables. Sanitiser refill costs were included in our contract cleaning costs throughout the Pandemic at an estimated annual cost of up to €2,000.

Purchase of face masks and face coverings

Purchase of hand sanitiser