Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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345. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of staff based at either the Irish Embassy in Beijing and Irish Consulate General Office in Shanghai that are fluent in speaking and writing in Mandarin. [15475/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Developing and maintaining foreign language proficiency in our Embassies is important in building key relationships and enabling officers to integrate more deeply.

A wide range of skills are required to carry out the functions of an Embassy and, to that end, the staffing profile of our Embassies include both posted staff and locally-hired staff.

A total of 45 office staff, including 19 posted and 26 locally-hired staff, are currently employed by Ireland’s Consulate General in Shanghai and our Embassy to China in Beijing, which includes a Visa Office.

A total of 26 office staff members are fluent in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese. A further 4 office staff members have intermediate or advanced Mandarin Chinese language skills. Remaining office staff are at beginner or basic levels. Where fluency in Mandarin is necessary for any particular role, this is taken into account in the recruitment and appointment process.