Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 911 people employed as local staff across Ireland's network of diplomatic missions overseas.

In 2023, the payroll costs of these locally recruited staff was €32 million.

The locally recruited colleagues serving across Ireland's Mission network play an invaluable role in supporting the delivery of the Department's goals and objectives and work principally on issues such as consular and visa services, administration responsibilities, supporting trade, cultural and public diplomacy targets and events and working on Ireland's development assistance programme.

Local staff are recruited subject to local labour law and the salary for each role is set on a Mission by Mission basis using job descriptions and based on the prevailing conditions for salaries in each location.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The number of civil servants in my department not currently posted abroad is provided below broken down by grade as at 31 March 2024.

All departmental staff are paid in accordance with civil service salary scales and relevant public service pay agreements.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland’s diplomatic missions are staffed by posted Irish civil servants and locally recruited staff. The number of civil servants from my Department posted abroad to diplomatic missions at 31 March 2024 is detailed in the table below by grade.

Salary costs of all Departmental staff are paid in accordance with civil service salary scales and relevant public service pay agreements. In 2023, the payroll costs of civil servants posted abroad was €50.4 million.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's diplomatic missions are staffed by posted Irish civil servants and locally recruited staff. The number of staff working in diplomatic missions abroad as at 31 March 2024 is detailed in the table below.

Just over half of Ireland's missions abroad are staffed by two posted officers, with only ten missions having six or more posted staff.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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By attaché, I understand the term to refer to civil servants seconded to the Department of Foreign Affairs by other government departments to work on issues relating to the mandate of the government department in question in one of Ireland’s diplomatic missions overseas.

The information requested is set out in the table that follows.