Written Answers Nos. 6-18
6. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the preparations ongoing in relation to Ireland's forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38022/26]
View answerIreland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from 1 July to 31 December of this year. The Presidency will be an opportunity for Ireland to play an important role in leading and shaping the EU’s policy and legislative agenda, and the Government has made a firm commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency in 2026.
As Presidency, we will take forward an ambitious agenda, seeking to serve the Union’s collective interests and respond to Europe’s most pressing and urgent needs, while preparing the Union to face the challenges of the future.
Preparations for Ireland’s Presidency are well underway, both here in Ireland and in Brussels. Our priorities and policy programme for the Presidency are now being finalised, taking account of extensive consultation with our European partners and with stakeholders in Ireland, and will be published in mid-June.
We are also now finalising the calendar of events scheduled to take place in Ireland during our Presidency term. During the Presidency, Ireland will host a summit of the European Political Community, an informal meeting of the European Council, and 22 informal Ministerial meetings. Overall, including conferences and meetings of officials from across the 27 EU Member States, we expect to host over 270 Presidency events in Ireland. Planning for these meetings is now well advanced.
The Government has committed in the Programme for Government to bring some of the high-level meetings of our Presidency to cities and counties across Ireland, ensuring the entire country benefits from the profile the Presidency brings.
I am determined to ensure that the entire country can engage with and benefit from the Presidency, and we are also progressing work to develop a programme of domestic outreach and engagement. This will include the EU Presidency County Pairings initiative, through which each county in the State has been paired with another EU Member State to facilitate broad public and community engagement with our European partners during the Presidency term, and the development of specific publications for children and young people focused on the work Ireland will undertake as Presidency.
Ireland has a proud record of success from our previous Presidency terms and we are confident that with the support of our partners we will again be able to make a significant and positive contribution to the EU through our 2026 Presidency.
7. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the establishment of an embassy in Armenia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38027/26]
View answerBuilding on successful implementation of the Global Ireland 2025, the Government is committed to the development of Global Ireland 2040, as an overarching strategic plan to further enhance our place and influence in international affairs, including ever deeper relationships with our European partners.
Decisions on new missions will be taken in the framework of Global Ireland 2040 and the subsequent whole-of-government regional plans committed to in the Programme for Government. All decisions on new openings are based on a robust analysis of how they will support our citizens, contribute to the promotion of our political and economic interests, and promote our culture internationally.
The Embassy of Ireland in Bulgaria is accredited to Armenia on a non-resident basis. Ambassador Catherine Bannon presented credentials to President Khachaturyan of Armenia in May 2025.
The Embassy of Armenia to the UK and Ireland is accredited to Ireland on a non-resident basis, and Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan presented his credentials to President Michael D. Higgins in July 2022.
There are no current plans to establish an Embassy in Armenia. However, Ireland looks forward to deepening our warm bilateral relations further. We will also engage with Armenia through the EU, as EU-Armenia relations also continue to deepen. Earlier this month, Yerevan hosted the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit, which was attended by the Taoiseach, as well as the inaugural EU-Armenia Summit and I look forward to welcoming Armenia to the next meeting of the EPC in Dublin later this year.
8. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of employees currently in her Department; the number of staff per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38028/26]
View answerThe number of civil servants employed by my Department in the years 2015-2026 is provided in tabular form below.
Each figure provided is as of 31 December in the year in question with the exception of 2026 in respect of which staff numbers are provided are as of 30 April 2026.
The number of civil servants currently employed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade includes staff serving in temporary roles to prepare for Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the European Council.
In addition to civil servants, my department also employs staff across our diplomatic missions abroad that are recruited locally. These employees are subject to local labour law and their salaries are set on a mission by mission basis based on their job description and on the prevailing conditions for salaries in each location. The number of locally recruited staff as of 30 April 2026 was 1,025. This total includes temporary staff recruited to support Ireland's upcoming Presidency in the Ireland's Permanent Mission to the European Union in Brussels and other missions.
|
Grade |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|
Secretary General |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Assistant Secretary & Higher |
29 |
26 |
29 |
28 |
26 |
24 |
28 |
28 |
31 |
33 |
34 |
34 |
|
Principal Officer & Equivalent |
103 |
109 |
114 |
121 |
133 |
132 |
145 |
137 |
140 |
140 |
141 |
137 |
|
Assistant Principal & Equivalent |
203 |
219 |
239 |
270 |
300 |
312 |
341 |
352 |
374 |
393 |
429 |
433 |
|
Administrative Officer & Equivalent |
112 |
109 |
115 |
134 |
170 |
171 |
195 |
202 |
215 |
232 |
321 |
337 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
72 |
76 |
91 |
103 |
117 |
117 |
121 |
133 |
146 |
144 |
171 |
181 |
|
Executive Officer & Equivalent |
169 |
172 |
172 |
197 |
252 |
241 |
237 |
244 |
290 |
316 |
347 |
352 |
|
Clerical Officer & Equivalent |
422 |
454 |
473 |
523 |
599 |
575 |
734 |
869 |
876 |
916 |
919 |
952 |
|
Services Officer |
28 |
30 |
30 |
33 |
32 |
33 |
32 |
34 |
33 |
34 |
35 |
34 |
|
Cleaner |
13 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
10 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
12 |
12 |
|
Total |
1,152 |
1,208 |
1,276 |
1,422 |
1,641 |
1,617 |
1,844 |
2,012 |
2,117 |
2,220 |
2,410 |
2,473 |
9. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps or initiatives being put in place by her Department to encourage Irish people to take up employment opportunities in the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38029/26]
View answerIncreasing the number of Irish citizens working in the EU Institutions and Agencies is a priority for the Government and is the overarching goal of theA Career for EU strategy which was launched in 2021. Implementation of the strategy is led by the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD.
The strategy has three focus areas: promoting EU careers in Ireland; providing training and supports for Irish candidates; and advocating for reform of the EU's recruitment process. Since its launch, outreach and awareness-raising of careers in the EU have expanded significantly, with an emphasis on second and third-level careers events and webinars with professional bodies. In 2025, hundreds of Irish candidates received targeted training supports across multiple competitions, including EU-specific practice materials and interview preparation for temporary and permanent positions.
This is showing results. Ireland had 43 permanent officials at the key entry grades in the European Commission in December 2025, up from 30 in 2022. Recently, over 1,700 Irish citizens submitted applications for the AD5 competition – the EU’s first large scale recruitment competition for permanent officials since 2019 - placing Ireland 10th out of 27 Member States on a per capita basis. The result also showed that Ireland had the third largest increase in candidates compared to our figures in 2019, a significant achievement.
Funding for the Centrally Funded Scheme for the Secondment of National Experts from the public service to the EU has risen from €2 million in 2021 to €4.2 million in 2026, supporting an increase from 24 SNEs to 53 over the course of 2025 — giving Ireland the highest number of SNEs per capita in the European Commission.
The Government will continue to work tirelessly to promote the EU as a possible career for Irish people. I hope that Ireland’s Presidency of the EU will encourage people to work in the EU, where they can have a positive impact on the lives of the Union’s 450 million citizens.
10. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 21 of 6 May 2026, to elaborate on the difference between “Air Corps” and “Government jet” in her response; to clarify whether “Air Corps” is a reference to the previous Government jet or to other Air Corps aircraft; and the estimated cost to the Exchequer of each trip listed. [38058/26]
View answerThe Government Jet, the Falcon 6X, became operational in March 2026. In advance of its arrival, Air Corps aircraft were on occasion used for government travel.
Information in relation to Ministerial Air Transport Services including costs is publicly available on the Department of Defence website: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/e8132-routinely-published-information/#ministerial-air-transport-service-mats
Costs for the Falcon 6X are not yet available as flight costs are in general calculated based on two years of flight data.
11. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if consideration has been given or will be given to a once-off verification process so that in the case where one parent of a child dies, their surviving partner is only required to submit documents such as a death certificate once in the case of a child's passport renewals, rather than each time a renewal is required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38096/26]
View answer31. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she is aware of the requirement for widowed parents to repeatedly submit bereavement documentation, including death certificates and sworn affidavits, for each renewal of a child's passport; if she will consider introducing a once-off verification process whereby such documentation would only need to be provided once unless family circumstances change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38366/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 31 together.
I fully recognise the difficulties the current process may present for bereaved families and the Passport Service seeks to be as sympathetic and supportive as possible in assisting bereaved parents throughout the application process. To this end, the Passport Service has scheduled a meeting with Widows and Bereaved Parents Ireland to discuss their concerns.
In terms of the process in place, where a child's guardian is deceased, the Passport Service requests the original death certificate of the deceased guardian and a Sole Guardian Affidavit from the surviving guardian confirming that they are the only guardian of the child.
When one guardian is deceased, it may not always be the case that the surviving parent is the only guardian of the child. For example, a guardian can, in a will or deed, appoint someone else to be a testamentary guardian after he or she dies. In addition, step-parents or other family members may have acquired guardianship of a child following the death of a parent. In order to protect the rights of children and their guardians, the Passport Service needs to confirm each time that it has the consent of all relevant guardians before it can issue a passport.
12. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the training in place to support the Garda with applicants who wish to use passport paper forms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38097/26]
View answerThe Passport Service is successfully responding to demand, and has issued almost 400,000 passports to date this year.
A limited type of passport applications for applicants resident in Ireland are required to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána.
In December 2025, the Passport Service launched a new Passport Assist Service to support citizens who do not wish to use Passport Online channel and assist them to make a paper passport application. When developing Passport Assist, the Passport Service engaged extensively with An Garda Síochána and provided training resources on correctly witnessing forms. Since its launch, the proportion of applications requiring Garda witnessing has decreased from 17% to 13%.
The applications that require Garda witnessing are:
- First Time Adult and Child Passport Assist;
- First Time Adult and Child Online;
The witnessing of these application forms is an important element of the identity verification process, as it provides initial assurance to the Passport Service that the person in the photograph is the same person presenting to submit the form.
In these cases, the Passport Service calls the relevant station to confirm that the Garda recorded the form in the station’s logbook. The Passport Service is not required to directly speak to the witnessing Garda. Passport Service staff call the Garda station up to three times to verify the witness' signature. Passport applications are checked by experienced entitlement officers who endeavour to maintain up-to-date records of the opening hours of Garda stations.
Where the Passport Service cannot reach the Garda station after three attempts, the relevant Superintendent’s Office can be contacted to verify the details. If the Passport Service is unable to verify the witness after these steps have been taken, a new witnessed form will be requested from the applicant.
The Passport Service is continuously looking at ways to make the application process easier for applicants, including the enhancement of digital services, and would therefore welcome the digitisation of the records maintained by An Garda Síochána when witnessing applications.
The Passport Service maintains a close working relationship with An Garda Síochána and offers guidance to the Gardaí on the correct completion of the required identity and consent forms. The Passport Service will continue our engagement with An Garda Síochána, to discuss how we can work together to improve the service for citizens.
As we approach the busy summer holiday season, I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply online for their passports in plenty of time.
13. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Ukraine's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38195/26]
View answer14. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Albania's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38196/26]
View answer15. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38197/26]
View answer16. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Georgia's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38198/26]
View answer17. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Kosovo's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38199/26]
View answer18. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Moldova's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38200/26]
View answer19. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Montenegro's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38201/26]
View answer20. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Serbia's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38202/26]
View answer21. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on North Macedonia's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38203/26]
View answer22. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position on Turkey's accession to EU membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38204/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 22, inclusive, together.
Ireland is a strong supporter of merit-based EU enlargement, which will be a key priority of our EU Presidency. We believe that all candidate countries should join the EU once they have met the necessary accession criteria. In recent weeks, I have visited Kyiv where I discussed Ukraine’s candidacy with the country’s President and Foreign Minister, and I hosted the Foreign Minister of Kosovo in Dublin to discuss his country’s next steps. In the coming weeks, I will also welcome to Dublin the Foreign Ministers of some other candidate countries to Dublin in order to discuss their EU accession paths.
Ten countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine- currently hold candidate status or, as in the case of Kosovo, potential candidate status.
Montenegro is the most advanced candidate country in accession negotiations, with all 33 chapters opened and 14 provisionally closed. At the end of April, the Ad-Hoc Committee on Drafting Montenegro’s Accession Treaty, which Ireland will be chairing during our Presidency, was established. Ireland will seek to build upon this momentum during our Presidency and encourages Montenegro to implement the necessary reforms to align with all EU laws to allow them to close all remaining chapters by the end of our Presidency.
Albania is among the frontrunners in the EU accession process and has opened all six negotiating clusters. Albania is now required to meet interim benchmarks on the Rule of Law, which might be achieved before the end of Cyprus’ Presidency. This would allow Albania to start or continue to close negotiating chapters during our Presidency – a goal that Ireland strongly wishes to facilitate. We encourage Albania to continue aligning its national legislation with the EU acquis and implementing the necessary reforms.
Moldova applied for EU membership in 2022 and opened accession negotiations in 2024. Last year’s Enlargement report, issued by the European Commission, highlighted that Moldova had made the most one-year progress of all the candidates over the reporting period. Moldova is technically ready to open all six negotiating clusters and Ireland stands ready to formally advance Moldova’s candidacy during our Presidency.
Ukraine was granted EU candidate country status in June 2022, with negotiations opening in 2024. The European Commission’s 2025 Enlargement report detailed the reforms being implemented by Ukraine in order to adhere to EU standards. The European Commission has also confirmed that Ukraine has met the necessary standards in order to open all negotiating clusters.
In January 2025 the Hungarian government led by Victor Orbán introduced a block on the candidacies of Moldova and Ukraine. This led to the “frontloading” of technical work on the candidacies which allowed the European Commission and Member States to informally review technical progress made by Ukraine and Moldova across all six negotiating clusters pending the lifting of Hungary’s veto. It is hoped that the new Hungarian government will adopt a different approach in the coming weeks, and that Ukraine and Moldova will open all negotiating clusters under the Cypriot and Irish Presidencies.
Serbia applied for EU membership in 2009 and opened accession negotiations in 2014. While European integration is Serbia’s declared strategic goal, it has yet to reach full alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and is also required to further bring its national legislation in line with the EU’s Rule of Law standards.
Bosnia and Herzegovina applied for EU membership in 2016 and was granted EU candidate status in December 2022. In order to advance on its EU accession path, Bosnia and Herzegovina is required to implement necessary reforms to adopt its negotiating framework, including the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and the Law on Courts in line with EU standards. Bosnia and Herzegovina is also expected to appoint a Chief Negotiator. Ireland strongly encourages Bosnia and Herzegovina to take these steps without further delay.
North Macedonia applied for EU membership in 2004 and opened accession negotiations in 2022. In order to advance in its accession process, North Macedonia must amend its Constitution to include a reference to minorities living in the country, as agreed in 2022. Ireland stands ready to formally advance North Macedonia’s accession process once the necessary reforms are implemented.
Kosovo submitted its application for EU membership in 2022. Ireland will continue to support Kosovo’s efforts towards EU membership and urge it to align with all necessary criteria to advance. On 5 May, I met with the Foreign Minister of Kosovo in Dublin for detailed discussions on prospects for Kosovo to move forward on its EU accession path.
Accession negotiations with Türkiye remain at a standstill since 2018. The EU continues to advance relations with Türkiye in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner, engaging on shared priorities.
Georgia applied for EU membership in 2022. In 2024, the leader of the Georgian Dream party was nominated as Prime Minister and declared that Georgia’s path toward EU membership was suspended until 2028. The European Commission currently considers Georgia as a candidate country in “name only”.
Ireland is also providing technical support to candidate and potential candidate countries to strengthen their administrative and institutional capacity. Last year, my Department, through the EU Enlargement and Fundamental Values Fund, launched the “Ireland for EU Enlargement” capacity-building programme which supports candidate and potential candidate countries engaged in the EU accession process. Officials from Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova participated in the 2025 programme. This year, the programme has been expanded to invite officials from all six Western Balkan countries, as well as Ukraine and Moldova. They will visit Ireland in early June and will carry out a wide-ranging programme of meetings with relevant Irish public sector organisations. Additionally, later this month, in cooperation with the German Development Agency, we will host more than a dozen senior foreign ministry officials from the six Western Balkans countries for meetings with a range of senior Irish civil servants on various aspects of EU policies.
Ireland will maintain full support to all candidate and potential candidate countries on their EU accession paths, provided that the necessary reforms are implemented, particularly in the areas of the Rule of Law, the Judiciary and Fundamental Values. All of these countries are aware of the strong political commitment in Ireland for EU enlargement, in the interests of economic stability and greater security.
