Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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922. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of staff members posted at the Irish Permanent Representation to the European Union, including all counsellors and attachés, in each of the past seven years 2016 to 2022; the functions of each staff member; the new posts that have been created or discontinued, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30049/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department currently provides a number of staff to support Ireland's engagement in the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy and the related EU institutions, including the European External Action Security, the European Defence Agency and the European Commission. To this end, officials from the Department are assigned to the Political and Security Committee (PSC) delegation within the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union. A number of the staff are also double hatted and support Ireland's engagement in NATO Partnership for Peace through the PfP Liaison Office in Brussels. The total current number of staff within my Department that are based and working in the Permanent Representation in Brussels and in the PfP Liaison Office is 6.

The breakdown of grade and numbers for 2022 is as follows:

There has been no change in the numbers serving in Brussels since 2016 .