Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2026
27. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current measures and future plans being taken to strengthen the State’s capacity to provide emergency consular assistance and evacuation support to Irish citizens abroad during conflicts, natural disasters and other major crises; and whether lessons from recent international emergencies have identified any gaps in the current system. [69348/26]
View answerMy Department’s crisis governance framework provides clear guidance for the activation of an effective, timely and robust response to a range of crises, with a view to providing consular assistance to affected Irish citizens and their family members.
Indeed, the Deputy will be aware that during the recent crisis in the Middle East and Gulf, the most significant crisis since the COVID, officials from across my Department, offered direct consular assistance to almost 2900 people. This is the equivalent of an entire year’s worth of ‘normal’ consular assistance operations, and is a strong indicator that existing plans are more than fit for purpose.
Depending on the severity of the crisis, my Department can activate a variety of crisis response measure, including the creation of an emergency task team to ensure a whole of Department approach to any response; the strengthening of the core consular team and of relevant regional missions; and the activation of a surge team.
I can confirm that, at my instruction, my Department activated all these measures during the Middle East and Gulf crisis, which saw more than 100 officials working as part of the response, including to assist the return of 380 Irish citizens and their dependents to Ireland, with a focus on those must vulnerable.
I can assure the Deputy that planning to enhance our capacity to response is ongoing, including through an ongoing lessons learned process, which is currently considering detailed input from officials across my Department. Where gaps are identified, the Crisis Planning Group, which meets quarterly, works with relevant units to implement practical solutions.
More broadly, my consular officials are also working with a range of international partners, including by chairing the EU Working Party for Consular Affairs, to ensure that our response aligns with international best practice.
