Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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128. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the post of Irish Honorary Consul in Malaga has been filled. [21288/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland currently has over 80 Honorary Consuls operating in more than 50 countries across the globe. Our global network of Honorary Consuls offers key support to my Department across a range of priorities, including providing consular assistance to Irish citizens in regions where we do not have a resident diplomatic Mission. These appointments are honorary in nature - unsalaried and non-pensionable.

Ireland has a network of 10 Honorary Consuls in Spain, managed by our Embassy in Madrid. Mr José de la Torre y Morín was appointed Honorary Consul of Ireland in Málaga in 1980. He served as Ireland’s Honorary Consul in Málaga for over 40 years, providing key support to the Embassy, particularly in the context of provision of assistance to Irish citizens visiting or residing in the region. Mr de la Torre y Morín sadly passed away in October 2022.

The consular needs of Irish citizens in the Málaga region continue to be met through the Embassy and our wider diplomatic network in Spain. The question of how best to provide consular services and assistance to Irish citizens in the Málaga region in the period ahead is under active consideration.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on recent activities of the Irish Consulate in Hong Kong, including staffing numbers. [21289/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The role of the Consulate General in Hong Kong is to develop relations between Ireland and Hong Kong across a range of political, economic and people-to-people activities, to provide services to the Irish community, and to report on developments in Hong Kong. There are three diplomatic staff posted from the Department of Foreign Affairs and three locally engaged staff. The Consulate General works closely with the Embassy of Ireland in Beijing.

The Consulate General provides consular and passport services to a community of over 3,000 Irish citizens. These services range from emergency and crisis consular advice to facilitation of passport renewals. In the period of January to April 2023, the Consulate General facilitated the delivery of over 200 passports and dealt with over 1,500 email queries.

Since January, the Consulate General has engaged in a number of activities in line with the objectives set out in the Government's Asia Pacific Strategy. Following the lifting of travel restrictions to Hong Kong, there has been an increase in events and visits, re-establishing in-person engagement with Hong Kong business and cultural sectors.

In February, the Consulate General hosted a successful launch event and exhibition in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong to mark the 90th anniversary of the visit by George Bernard Shaw to Hong Kong.

In March, the Consulate facilitated the visit of the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, as part of a programme of ministerial visits for St. Patrick’s Day. The Minister's programme included engagement on climate action and support for Irish businesses operating in Hong Kong. The Consulate General also supported a number of community events in Hong Kong to mark the national day.

In the first quarter of this year, the Consulate participated in European Union Member State observation of trials of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong brought under the National Security Law and other legislation.

The above key activity is in addition to a programme of ongoing engagements with diplomatic counterparts, the Hong Kong administration, key stakeholders in the financial services industry, other members of the business community, the sporting community and the resident Irish community and members of the diaspora.