Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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4. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of defence attachés accredited to Ireland, both resident and non-resident; when defence attachés were first accredited to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34690/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The functions, privileges and immunities of foreign defence attachés and their legal status in Ireland derives from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, as given effect in Irish law by the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act, 1967.

The appointment of a defence attaché on behalf of foreign nominating states is governed by Article 7 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, which states:

“Subject to the provisions of articles 5, 8, 9 and 11, the sending State may freely appoint the members of the staff of the mission. In the case of military, naval or air attachés, the receiving State may require their names to be submitted beforehand, for its approval.”

There are currently 60 foreign defence attachés accredited to Ireland, including 2 who are based in Dublin on a resident basis, while the remaining 58 operate on a non-resident basis from London. Defence attachés accredited to Ireland are listed by country on the Diplomatic List as maintained by my Department and which is available to view via the www.ireland.ie website.

The general purpose of defence attachés is to facilitate necessary and appropriate bilateral contacts and exchanges between countries’ respective military authorities. In Ireland, requests to approve the appointment of both resident and non-resident foreign defence attachés are submitted in advance of the officer’s arrival and are considered on a case-by-case basis by my Department in conjunction with other relevant Irish authorities.

In the time available, it has not proved possible to confirm the precise dates on which foreign defence attachés were first accredited to Ireland. However, they are a standard and long-established feature of bilateral diplomatic practice that have operated in Ireland and other states over several decades.