Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with an order of the Dáil, we are dealing with a Supplementary Estimate - Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs - which has been referred to this committee for consideration. On behalf of the select committee, I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, and the officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs. On behalf of the committee, I thank the officials and the Department for the briefing material provided to us. It is noted that diary constraints mean the Tánaiste has to depart at approximately 4.45 p.m. I am not sure of the Tánaiste's flexibility but he will inform us of that, if there is any.

The proposed format of this part of the meeting is that the committee will deal with Vote 28. At the outset of the consideration of the Supplementary Estimate, I will invite the Tánaiste to give an overview of Vote 28 outlining any pressures likely to impact on his Department's performance or expenditure in relation to the Vote for the remainder of 2024. The floor will then be open to questions from members of the committee. I propose that this part of the meeting might last approximately 45 minutes, depending on questions and answers and other business in the House.

I also propose an additional item, which has been added to the agenda and which is a matter of public importance and important to this committee. It is a briefing from the Tánaiste on the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, with the floor open to members for questions. Due to time constraints, we have approximately 45 minutes for that. I also propose that we have present with us Senator Frances Black, the author of the Bill, along with her legal team, Mr. Conor O'Neill and Mr. Gerry Liston. They will be attending, not as members but as formal witnesses at the meeting, so they can enlighten us about the Bill. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Members will be fully familiar with our notice regarding privilege at this stage. However, I remind members and witnesses of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person outside the Houses or any official, either by name or in such a way as to make him or her in any way identifiable.

I call on the Tánaiste to make his opening statement on the Vote.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach very much for his forbearance and facilitation. I also thank the members of the committee. With the Cathaoirleach's agreement, I will now present for the committee's consideration the Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Foreign Affairs. These relate to Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs. In total, the request we are making is for a net increase of €88.3 million in Vote 28. This will increase the total voted net expenditure ceiling for the Department of Foreign Affairs from to €272.791 million to €361.091 million in 2024.

Members will have received the advance briefing note provided by my Department. This summarises the reasons for the increases, which I will be happy to explain in a bit more detail and then respond to any further questions that the committee might have.

The Department’s request is for an additional allocation of €98.3 million gross, or €88.3 million net. This takes account of anticipated additional income of €10 million, mainly arising from passports. The specific reasons for the Supplementary Estimate are as follows. The largest part, €74 million, relates to Ireland’s contributions to multilateral organisations. This can be broken down into two main components. First, we are seeking €42 million in respect of Ireland’s contributions to the European Peace Facility, an instrument aimed at enhancing the European Union's ability to prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security. Given the huge upsurge in needs, emanating in particular from the conflict in Ukraine, a number of decisions have been taken in the past year providing for increases in the ceiling of the EPF, and this now stands at over €17 billion. Based on that ceiling and the gross national income key that currently applies, Ireland’s total commitment up to 2027 stands at approximately €400 million, of which approximately €250 million arises in respect of Ukraine, and the Supplementary Estimate will go towards that. Ireland fully supports Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, in line with Article 51 of the UN charter. It is worth recalling that total support for Ukraine under the EPF now amounts to €11.1 billion. In line with commitments in the programme for Government, Ireland has abstained from decisions to supply lethal equipment and does not contribute financially to these aspects of the packages. Instead, our contribution is directed exclusively towards the provision of non-lethal support. Typical examples of the kind of non-lethal assistance provided under the EPF include vehicles, medical equipment, first-aid kits, food parcels, personal protective equipment such as helmets and body armour, uniforms and fuel.

Second, an additional €32 million is requested in respect of Ireland’s assessed contributions to the UN system, in particular, our share of UN peacekeeping costs and the UN general fund and other mandatory costs. Ireland is a strong supporter of global co-operation and has long been committed to multilateralism, in particular, through our membership of the United Nations. Ensuring a strong and effective UN, including through the prompt and full payment of the requisite mandatory contributions, is a key objective of Ireland’s foreign policy.

Mandatory or assessed contributions to the UN can be broken into three parts: the UN regular budget; the peacekeeping budget; and the budget for UN international criminal tribunals. Ireland’s mandatory contributions for the current three-year period are assessed at 0.439% of the UN budgets, an increase of 18.3% over the previous three-year period; this is reflective of Ireland’s increased GNI.

Ireland’s contributions, by virtue of our membership of the UN, are calculated in accordance with the UN budgetary process and contributions are not evenly spread over the three-year payment cycle operated by the UN. Hence, Ireland’s annual contributions are very difficult to estimate due to the nature of this UN process and the timing of the Irish budget-setting process.

A large share of the UN's expenditure addresses its core mission of peace and security. The peacekeeping budget can vary significantly from year to year in line with the size and complexity of operations mandated by the UN Security Council, many of which are subject to annual change. At close to $6.6 billion for the current year, the peacekeeping budget significantly exceeds the UN regular budget, largely due to the increase in the size, number and complexity of these operations worldwide.

A sum of €3 million is requested for administration pay under programme A - advancing Ireland’s foreign policy. This will allow us to meet our pay obligations under the public sector pay agreement 2024-2026. In addition, under the same programme, I request a further €12 million in non-pay administration costs. This funding will support the fit-out of existing and new properties overseas, including new Ireland House premises, as well as higher than anticipated rental, maintenance and energy costs at our properties overseas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently managing a significant number of property projects to realise the ambition of the Global Ireland initiative to enhance Ireland’s global impact and influence to 2025 and beyond. These include: the construction of a new Ireland House in Tokyo, the largest capital investment that the Department has ever made, representing Ireland’s strong commitment to our partnership with Japan; construction of a new embassy office in Abuja; and new Ireland Houses in New York, Chicago and Singapore.

A sum of €4.3 million is requested for the reconciliation and North-South co-operation under the A3 programme. This additional funding, on a once-off basis, is sought by way of Supplementary Estimate to enable the establishment of a permanent professorship in Irish history in Cambridge University. This will facilitate the provision of this high profile Irish history teaching and research position on a permanent and sustainable financial basis though the establishment of an endowment fund. This position will bring a range of benefits for this country and for wider British-Irish relations.

Finally, €5 million is requested to meet operational needs of the passport service under programme B - passport service. This €5 million request comprises €1 million for pay and €4 million in non-pay. The latter will facilitate the purchase of passport books now to ensure continuity of supplies of books during 2025 for this essential citizen service.

In the context of the national development plan, the Department continues to modernise and improve the Irish passport, as well as the systems that underpin production and service delivery for our citizens. The passport reform programme will encompass the redesign and modernisation of the passport book and card, as well as the replacement of existing high-security printing machinery required for passport personalisation. The modernisation of the core back office technology for passport and foreign birth registration processing remains a priority for the passport service. The current software is nearly 20 years old and as we continue to expand our efficiency and capacity for application processing, it must be upgraded. This will ensure that the passport service remains resilient and agile in response to future passport demand.

Our discussion today is focused on the Supplementary Estimate for my Department. However, I also wish to underline to this committee and this House that the situation in Israel, Palestine and the wider Middle East region remains a central priority for my Department. For more than 13 months, we have witnessed horrific scenes. The attack by Hamas on 7 October of last year was one of the worst acts of terrorism that the region has experienced. The Government has condemned this without reservation. Since then, the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza has been absolutely shocking. The scale of death, destruction and unimaginable human suffering in Gaza is truly horrific and completely unacceptable and beyond any moral compass. It represents the collective punishment of an entire people, particularly in northern Gaza. We are essentially witnessing the removal of a population from that particular part of the territory.

Despite calls for de-escalation, we instead are seeing the extension of conflict, in the West Bank and more recently in Lebanon. Massive and indiscriminate air strikes on densely populated areas in Lebanon are resulting in a shocking loss of life. Israel has an obligation to abide by international humanitarian law. I call on it to do so. I call on all parties to de-escalate and to exercise restraint. Let me assure the committee that both I and my officials will continue to play a lead role at EU and international level, through our political engagement and diplomatic efforts, through our unwavering support for the United Nations and commitment to international law, through our financial support to the Palestinian people, through our commitment to the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon and through our consular support to our citizens on the ground. I attended a meeting the week before last in Paris on Lebanon with Arab states and EU member states in an effort to identify a potential role for UNIFIL in a post-ceasefire scenario in Lebanon as well as strengthening the Lebanese armed forces. I look forward to discussing the occupied territories Bill later, as outlined by the Chair. I will deal with that in the latter part of the meeting.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I will now open up matters to members of the committee by way of questions. I am very conscious of time, which I am sure members will understand.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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On a point of order, were we informed that the Tánaiste would be leaving here at 4.45 p.m.?

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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In or around that time.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Which is it? Is there flexibility? I do not want us to miss an opportunity, which is important for the committee, to have a deliberative conversation in respect of the occupied territories Bill. There are clearly questions we would like to ask about the Estimate but it would be helpful if we had an exact idea of how long we have.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The information we have received is to the effect that the Tánaiste had, and still has, a diary commitment at 4.45 p.m. I acknowledge that it is our last week of term. We are under some time strictures and the Tánaiste, in particular, is under time strictures. I am not sure if there is any flexibility.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I can be flexible but the Cathaoirleach outlined the arrangement at the beginning of the meeting which I think most members agreed with. If we proceed now we can get this dealt with and move on.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I call Deputy Carthy.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I will ask a couple of very brief questions about the Estimate. It is not ideal but it is with a view to having the other conversation.

The additional €12 million allocated to programme A2 for overseas missions is welcome. We are moving to the point where we are on a par with our peer nations by size in the number of our overseas missions. However, one area where we do fall down is the number of diplomatic staff assigned to those missions. Did the Tánaiste hear the first part of that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Are we falling down on what?

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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We are making progress on the number of missions, which is welcome, but not on their staffing. They remain very lightly staffed in comparison with missions of similar sized states in similar countries. Many of us would have had reason to contact various embassies. When you get through to our staff, they are always incredibly helpful. The difficulty is often getting through in the first place. Most operate a very limited period for taking telephone calls because in most instances there is only a small number of staff available to man the lines. Is that being reviewed?

Programme A6 allocates an additional €42 million to the European peace facility which is attributed largely to Ukraine. We know the level of spending across the EU has been astronomical in many respects and with good reason because of what is happening in Ukraine. However, when we talk about this level of expenditure, it would be useful to get the Tánaiste’s analysis on the current status of the conflict and where precisely Ireland’s funds will be directed. Has the Tánaiste a view of any proactive measures the Government can take to bring an end to the war?

On programme B, the passport service is a service which when it works well, it works very well. Many people will have a very positive experience of renewals, in particular. However, as I have told the Tánaiste many times, when it does not work well or when people encounter problems, there is scope for improvement particularly when it comes to urgent need rather than emergency need. While there are considerations, I do not think it is appropriate or healthy that people have to contact politicians, which they do, and then we get in touch with the Passport Office which is incredibly helpful in that case. There should be a very easy to understand, accessible to everybody, urgent passport system in place for those who need it, whether it is due to their own mistake, negligence or whatever.

Also in that respect, does the Tánaiste believe it was an omission by the Government that no steps were taken during its term to establish an additional Passport Office in the North? There is a demand for it. It would be a very welcome development and would expedite and enhance the passport Service overall. Does the Tánaiste believe this is something the next government should pursue?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The €12 million is for the fit-out of existing and new properties overseas. I would not agree at all that the staff is light. In fact, there has been a very significant expansion in numbers working in our missions. We have grown the missions. We always seem to have contradictory discussions about the public service. Sometimes we say we are spending too much and we do not get value for money. Genuinely, one of the good aspects of the Department of Foreign Affairs and our embassies is the efficiency and leadership at embassy and mission levels. It is quite efficient and we should keep it that way. We have expanded the numbers. In fact, I suspect the challenge in the opening of new missions will be there will be a stretch in experience to some extent and having enough experienced officials to man the leadership positions. I do not really think we are short. That is not what is coming across to us – that we are short staffed. I mention an emergency or a consular case. The Deputy is correct. Unlike most countries, our consular service is one of the best. We have a 24-hour duty officer. If anyone is in any difficulty, they should ring the duty officer who will contact the relevant embassy and so on on behalf of the person or of representatives of the Oireachtas. Generally, it gets a good response. Sometimes the ambassador, a counsellor or someone in the embassy may contact you directly to bring you up to date in respect of a situation pertaining to a person.

I find the response of our people exceptional. I know the Deputy does too and he has said that. It is a very good expression of our service to the public and the Irish citizen no matter where they are when they get into difficulty and so forth. The numbers working in the Department of Foreign Affairs overall have increased, both in missions and fairly significantly in the Passport Office.

The Passport Office is an exceptional service. The online service is dominating traffic now in terms of engagement. We have systems for those who cannot do their business online. That is the reason we do not believe there is a need for new physical offices. If you apply online, it is nearly within 4 hours in some cases you will have your passport. People say this to me in disbelief. The Deputy is right. Some people will have genuine difficulties. They might not have seen the expiry date on the child's passport. We get those calls; I presume everybody does. Generally speaking, the Department or the Passport Office responds fairly urgently to them. There is the one day on which you can call into the office physically. That is facilitated in Dublin and to a certain degree in Cork. We will continue to try to improve it. Technology will bring more improvements. We have to renew the passport every ten years, as recommended by international security advisers. That is why we are doing the current revamp and the Irish wolfhound will adorn the new passport. It was the people's decision. I know the Deputy has been raising the issue about urgent cases. My sense is that we do respond well to the urgent cases.

On Ukraine, EUMAM is the training side and the Irish continue to work on that in training Ukrainian soldiers in respect of demining, combat medical and all that area as approved by the Dáil. As regards the war itself, it is not until Putin decides to withdraw, and there are no indications from President Putin that he wants peace right now. The evidence is that North Korean troops have now arrived into the battlefield, which is quite horrendous and shocking. That is not an indication of someone seeking a ceasefire. It is very grim for the people of Ukraine and it is grim for quite a lot of people living in Russia, particularly young Russian people who have been brought to the front line. The loss of human life in the form of soldiers on both sides is truly shocking. For some reason it does not get much coverage because it is kind of over there in the battlefield, but the number of young people who have lost their lives is enormous. They are fighting a war that has medieval, First World War, Second World War and 21th century technology all combined into one, which is leading to terrible loss of life and then horrendous destruction of civilian infrastructure, which has caused all the migration out of Ukraine. It is a horrible war. The European Union member states on the border are extremely worried because they are now witnessing hybrid attacks developed by the Russians on their territory, and an increasingly brazen type of hybrid attacks. They really fear the existential aspect of this war for them.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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I welcome the Tánaiste and his team before us today. I have some very brief comments. First, I am very supportive of the general thrust of these additional Estimates. They are very positive, especially the Passport Office. It must be one of the few parts of the public sector that actually turns a profit every year. I very much welcome the investment that has been put into it as well.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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You could say that Revenue turns a profit, but anyway.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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The Passport Office is probably more external and outward-focusing. It is good we are investing in the Passport Office. It is not an expense. Sometimes it is perceived as an expense; it is actually an investment. We have to maintain the integrity of the Irish passport system.

Second, regarding the embassies and the Irish houses abroad, again sometimes it is presented as an expense if we are spending €12 million, but really it is an investment. If you are buying real estate in capital cities all around the world, that is certainly a long-term investment for Ireland Inc. and that is to be welcomed.

From the North-South dimension, the A3 is very positive as well. I welcome the professorship in Cambridge University as well. That is good. I have one small question. I am not sure how familiar the Tánaiste is with the Mitchell scholarship programme.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I established it.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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Fantastic. The Tánaiste is probably well aware it is looking for an endowment to try to keep that programme up and running. If he is familiar with it, the Tánaiste may be able to shed some light on whether any consideration is being given to support that link between North America and Ireland. It is particularly important these days with what is happening in the Middle East. Those are the questions I have.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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A brief reply from the Tánaiste.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. That is very useful advice to us to go into the Department of public expenditure in future and make the argument that these are investments in Ireland Inc., not expenditure. His points are very well made. Integrity is very important in respect of passports.

Regarding the Mitchell scholarships, I will pursue that. That was in honour of George Mitchell's role in the peace process. We established it at the time of President Clinton's visit to Ireland. Dick Riley was then US Secretary of Education and we struck up a good friendship. Both Governments provided an endowment of sorts, but not of a huge amount I would readily acknowledge, for funding at that stage to establish the Mitchell scholarship. As a result, hundreds of American graduates have come to Ireland who, in time, will become and are now friends of Ireland and who are in leadership positions in America and in all aspects of American life. I think Trina Vargo was the person who led the charge in respect of that. I will talk to my officials about that and across Government. It may fall to a new Government to develop that.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Tánaiste for his opening statement. I will touch on a few items. He mentioned the European Peace Facility and the increased funding for it. I note last Wednesday that, with the co-operation with the Lithuanians, €3 million was committed to providing for a bomb shelter for a school in Ukraine. That was a joint initiative. I am not sure if that is under the European Peace Facility or not. The funding that is committed from the Department for such initiatives is very welcome because it is practical support to the Ukrainians but the additional support here through the European Peace Facility is very welcome. The Tánaiste also mentioned the €32 million for the UN peacekeeping missions and he outlined the reasons for that. Does he have figures to hand for the UN peacekeeping missions in terms of our expenditure last year and what expenditure we have increased it by year on year to give a snapshot of the level of increase year on year?

Regarding reconciliation and North-South co-operation, the increase under that heading is very welcome. The Tánaiste mentioned the fellowship, which would be good. That kind of cross-Border initiative is extremely important and it is great to see additional funding is allocated to it.

On passports, I agree with colleagues who have complimented the Passport Office and the work it does. Often, many of the cases are urgent because people have just realised the situation they are in. For those who need passports urgently for either health or bereavement reasons, the Passport Office is exceptionally co-operative and engaged. I have one suggestion, which I have made before directly to the Passport Office, and perhaps through the Department's auspices I can suggest it again, that is, that the checking of documentation that is actually lodged could be done quicker or sooner and at an earlier stage. That would weed out a lot of problems, be they with photographs or documentation missing or unsigned consent forms, etc. It is certainly welcome to see this additional funding because no doubt there is a need for improved facilities.

On the Global Ireland initiative, the Tánaiste mentioned the new Ireland houses that are being opened. Does he, or perhaps any of the officials with him, have a percentage of how many of these residences or premises we own versus lease? In his opening statement he remarked on the increased costs of certain leases. These are obviously required and nobody doubts that but I would love to see us preferring to own the properties rather than lease them out. In some circumstances and in some cities, it makes more sense to lease the property rather than to own it. If the Tánaiste had that percentage for the figure of those leases versus ownership, it would be great.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Peace Facility has grown. The calculation is based on our GNI percentage. We are a net contributor to the European Union so it is done on a percentage and pro rata basis in respect of that. I can get figures in more detail on the growth of the EPF more generally. In fact, there is now talk of using the EPF for strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces, LAF, in a post-Lebanese ceasefire environment, to enhance its jurisdiction and capacity to operate in south Lebanon, in particular, alongside UNIFIL, to make for a more effective implementation of Resolution 1701.

On the bomb shelter, Ireland has provided approximately €26 million in bilateral aid. Much of our humanitarian assistance in Ukraine is provided out of that. There are some very good programmes, for example, housing programmes to rehouse quite a number of people who were displaced as a result of the bombings in Ukraine. We also have a very effective cohort of Irish personnel on the civilian side operating in UN agencies in Kyiv and Ukraine, who I have met, in policing. These are people who may be seconded from or, in some instances, retired from An Garda or the Department of Foreign Affairs. Sometimes, that is as valuable as any money because these are people with considerable experience who are on the ground putting things together for Ukraine and its people.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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To clarify, is that €26 million separate from the EU Peace Facility?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. It is totally separate. It is Irish bilateral-----

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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That is fine.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----humanitarian assistance.

On passports, getting involved in checking passports earlier could result in double work and could lengthen turnaround times, which is not the Deputy's intention.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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No, not at all. If anything, the time should be cut.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will ask the office to communicate to the Deputy to explain the rationale for why that would be the case. There is a system and if you start messing around with it, you could end up-----

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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That is the last thing we want.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Exactly.

We will get that information on the Global Ireland initiative, if we can. We can get it, but it could take a bit of time.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I understand.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We own some properties. My understanding is there is a lease on Ireland House in New York because you could never buy that.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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That is the one I was thinking of.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We own 40 properties and rent approximately 160 around the world. It depends on the location.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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We sold the one in Washington, if I am not mistaken.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That was the residence and the embassy itself because it was just not fit for purpose.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That was a good solution there. London is where the next major Ireland House will be. That is also a very important relationship.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Tánaiste and his officials. I will ask about the Ireland House concept. It seems to be a very innovative and positive development. Has any cost-benefit analysis been carried out on the Ireland House work? How many have we got around the world and where are they?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have about 17 or 18. Some of them are not full-blown Ireland Houses, if I can say that. I was in a location recently where, when I got back, I had to speak to one or two Departments to ask them to get their agencies in there. Ireland House in New York is superb. I opened that recently. It has all the agencies under the one umbrella, including Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, CIÉ Tours, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland. The consulate is there as well. We have to get out of the silo mentality. The State needs to work on a multi-agency basis, especially overseas when we are interacting with other governments, markets and so on.

There will be a similar situation in Tokyo, when that new building happens, and in London. Our embassy in China is not physical - Ireland House is in Shanghai - but because of the nature of that state and how we interact with it, the ambassador takes a lead role in putting all the agencies together, which has been quite effective for a long time. That is the direction of travel. We need to strengthen it. It is a no-brainer as a concept. We should give a collective message to all the agencies out there that we do not endorse the silo mentality. The imperative is to engage in a multi-agency approach.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I agree fully with the Tánaiste on that issue. The silo approach is not the way to go. It should be collective and co-operative. I have seen it in action and it is very impressive.

When the Tánaiste opened Ireland House in New York, he mentioned Annie Moore from Cork, who left from Cobh. I will once again mention that for many years, and rightly so, we focused on the United States, but possibly to the neglect of Canada. I have worked with Canadians for the past number of years. I have advocated that we open, for instance, a presence in Calgary in the centre of Canada. It is a vast country with huge resources. More people in Canada per capita claim Irish descent than in the United States. There are huge numbers. Increasing our presence in Canada even more might be something that the Department in the next administration might have a look at, seeing as Nellie Cashman came from Midleton in east Cork. There is a monument to her. She was the saviour of an awful lot of miners way back.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Was that in Calgary?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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In that part of the world, yes. In British Columbia and Calgary in Canada.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Cork people are extraordinary.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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It is amazing.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is an extraordinary legacy around the world.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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It might be something that might be considered by the next administration.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Would the Tánaiste like to respond to that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We are a humble people in Cork.

On Canada, we intend to open an Ireland House in Toronto. I visited Canada for the St. Patrick's Day week, specifically because of what the Deputy said. We needed to up our engagement with Canada, which is a very friendly nation. We have the Canadian-European Union free trade deal, which this Dáil has not ratified. It is a matter of deep regret to me that the Dáil was incapable of ratifying a Bill that is to the enormous benefit of companies, small businesses and people. I just do not understand how, in the modern era, our Legislature does not quite get what is the flesh and blood of our economic performance. We went to Canada. I will bear in mind what the Deputy said about Calgary. We have enhanced our presence there. There is a very strong Irish diaspora in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. A lot of Irish companies have a presence there. Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland are all there.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The fastest growing GAA club in the world is in Vancouver. It is a huge presence. The Tánaiste is correct.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I hope they are not depending on Cork.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Watch this space.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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I agree with the Tánaiste and Deputy Stanton on the multi-agency approach. There was a proposal for a defence attaché from the Irish Army being deployed to the Irish Embassy in London. Where are we with that? Are there plans to expand that network further than Washington or Paris thereafter? The Irish Embassy in London is the first step.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is under consideration. I will have to revert to the Deputy on the interdepartmental discussion on that, but that issue is on the agenda.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I have one brief question on the ongoing unacceptable and horrific situation in Ukraine. I noted the Tánaiste's comments on increased funding through the European Peace Facility and otherwise. What is the possibility of further initiatives of a practical nature on a bilateral basis with European governments? In recent times, there was reconstruction and now rebuilding of a school playground that was done by the Government in conjunction with the Lithuanian Government. The local community involved was very much informed of the fact that this was bilateral engagement.

Acknowledgement came from a small town in Ukraine to the Government of Ireland and the Irish people. I felt that this was an important initiative, one with practical and positive consequences in terms of a recognition by communities in Ukraine of what Ireland was doing as regards their compatriots who had been displaced. It was also a practical manifestation of our not insubstantial aid. Are there further opportunities or flexibilities in that regard such that we might be in a position to sign up with other governments in, for example, the rebuilding of community halls or public libraries or the provision of particular equipment and the help of the Irish people, through the Irish Government, is recognised at a local and practical level in Ukraine?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is a good point. At a more macro level, we have joined coalitions with some EU member states. We have joined the, I believe, Lithuanian demining coalition. In terms of ICT developments in Ukraine, we have partnered with Estonia.

Regarding humanitarian assistance, our embassies generally work with other embassies and missions on the ground and join forces on a given project or programme. We will drive that forward. This demonstrates European co-ordination and the sense that the EU is acting as one. It also brings added value to a project and makes a great deal of sense.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste. Unless there are other questions for him or he would like to make closing remarks, I will signal that we are now completing our consideration.