Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence for an update on the work being done by his Department, and agencies under its remit, to facilitate, in line with the commitment under the Programme for Government, the easier return to Ireland for emigrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56784/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to making it as easy as possible for Irish emigrants to return to live and work in Ireland. Reducing barriers to returning emigrants has important implications for national competitiveness; in a growing Irish economy facilitating the return of skills will be of importance in sustaining economic growth.

Work is underway in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the development of a new Diaspora Strategy for 2026-2031, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government. This will succeed our current strategy, which expires at the end of this year. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also funds the Returning to Ireland portal on the Citizens Information website. This site provides a wealth of useful information on the administrative aspects of returning home and I would recommend it to anyone considering moving to Ireland.

The Defence Forces run recruitment campaigns for all three services - the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, on www.military.ie, which is accessible all over the world. They also have a significant presence on social media and target demographics using the algorithms available. The Defence Forces welcome interest from any qualified candidates, including Irish citizens living overseas who might wish to return home. In addition to the general recruitment campaigns, the Defence Forces have also engaged the services of an external recruitment agency to assist in identifying and attracting suitably qualified candidates for specialist positions in the Naval Service.

Recruitment to the Defence Forces remains ongoing through a diverse range of competitions for General Service and for specialised Direct Entry positions.