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Our Commitments

Learn more about our Customer Service policy and how we comply with national legislation to ensure quality services.

  • Compliance
  • Customer Service
  • Our Commitment to Standards

Compliance

Compliance

In our delivery of services to the public we aim to provide high quality services and we comply with the following:

Data Protection Policy

Gender Pay Gap Report 2023

Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Official Language Policy

Freedom of Information

Accessibility

Legal Disclaimers

Using our information

Photographs

Protected Disclosures

Children First Act 2015

Data protection

We are committed to protecting the personal data you give us in compliance with our obligations under the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  Please see our Data Privacy Notice and contact details of our Data Protection Officer 

Gender Pay Gap Report

The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to providing a positive work environment with a strong focus on dignity, respect and diversity. We have a globally distributed workforce and we prioritise our greatest assets, our people, to perform to the highest levels. The Department's Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan 2022- 2025 commits us to 'Improved gender balance across all levels of the Department' and a 'Reduction of Gender Pay Gap to below 10% by 2025'

Although the Departments' first public Gender Pay Gap Report was published in 2022 – in compliance with the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 which places a statutory obligation on organisations with over 250 employees to report their hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics from 2022 onwards - the Department has been active in seeking to reduce the gender pay gap over a number of years. We are pleased that since 2013 the Department has reduced its Gender Pay Gap from 30% to 11.90% in June 2023.

Read the full report

G‌ender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Read the Department's Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2025.

Read the Department's 2022 DFA GEDI Policy.

Official Language Act

Request for submissions - the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade proposes to draft a language scheme in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003. 

We are committed to the provision of services to citizens in Irish. We work to ensure full compliance with the legislation of the Official Languages Act 2003 . Through our Irish language scheme and customer charter, we seek to ensure the highest standard of service in Irish for citizens who wish to do business with us in Irish.

We are also active in promoting the Irish language within EU institutions too. Through Ireland’s diplomatic network, we facilitate and work with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the promotion of the language more widely overseas through a programme of cultural and academic activities.

20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 - 2030 : Department of Foreign Affairs.

Freedom of Information

We comply with our obligations under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, under which you can access records held by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 allows you to access, to the greatest extent possible, information held by the Department. It gives you the right to have your personal data corrected or updated and to get reasons for decisions taken by the Department that affect you. Read about how you can make an FOI request.

Accessibility

We are committed to helping people with disabilities to access our services. 

Access officer

We have appointed an Access Officer in accordance with section 26 of the Disability Act 2005. The Access Officer is responsible for ensuring that help and advice are given to people with disabilities who wish to access our services.

Email the Access Officer ensuring you state that it is for the attention of the Access Officer.

Alternatively, you can contact the Access Officer as follows:

Access Officer

Human Resources HQ
Department of Foreign Affairs
76-78 Harcourt Street
Dublin 2
D02 DX45

Tel: 01 408 2000

Inquiry officer

Our Inquiry Officer will investigate any complaints made under section 38 of the Disability Act.

Our Inquiry Officer is Ken Mooney, and you can contact him at:

Human Resources HQ
Department of Foreign Affairs
76-78 Harcourt Street
Dublin 2

Tel: 01 408 2000

Email Inquiry Officer  ensuring you state that it is for the attention of the Inquiry Officer

Legal disclaimers

The contents of these pages are provided as an information guide only. They are intended to enhance public access to information about the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

While every effort is made in preparing material for publication, no responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of the State for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on these pages or any site to which these pages connect.

Although every effort is made to ensure the reliability of links to third-party sites, they are provided for convenience and for information purposes only. The provision of a link cannot be taken as an endorsement or approval of a third-party site or of the information and/or opinions that it contains. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade bears no responsibility for the content of a third-party site or any subsequent links that it contains and has no control over the content or availability of such a site. The third party site should be contacted for answers to any questions regarding its content. 

Using our information

We comply with the Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector Information and we encourage the re-use of the information that we produce.

All of the information featured on our website is the copyright of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade unless otherwise indicated. You may re-use the information on this website free of charge in any format.

Re-use includes copying, issuing copies to the public, and publishing, broadcasting and translating into other languages. It also covers non-commercial research and study.

Conditions for using our information

Re-use is subject to the following conditions. You must:

  • Acknowledge the source and our copyright in cases where you supply the information to others
  • Reproduce the information accurately
  • Not use the information in a misleading way
  • Not use the information for the principal purpose of advertising or promoting a particular product or service
  • Not use the information for or in support of illegal, immoral, fraudulent, or dishonest purposes

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is not liable for any loss or liability associated with the re-use of information and does not certify that the information is up-to-date or error free. We do not authorise any user to have exclusive rights to re-use of our information.

Information we maintain

For further information on the re-use of information maintained by the Department please email us in the Freedom of Information Unit at foi@dfa.ie

Photographs

We would like to thank Fáilte Ireland and the Defence Forces for the use of some of their photographs on this site.

Protected Disclosures

The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) 2022 Act effective from 01 January 2023, facilitates those, as provided for in the Act, to disclose information to a public body, on wrongdoings observed or perceived, over the course of their duty or engagement with the public body.

Those wishing to make protected disclosures to the Department of Foreign Affairs may do so in confidence either orally by secure voicemail at +353-1-408 2675 or by email to protecteddisclosures@dfa.ie.

or in writing to

The Protected Disclosures Officer
Security & Corporate Compliance
Department of Foreign Affairs
76-78 Harcourt Street
Dublin 2
D02 DX45

No protected disclosures were received by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2022.

Children First Act 2015

The Children First Act 2015 was enacted in 2015 and was fully commenced on 11 December 2017. Further information on the Act and the Children First Guidelines can be found on the website of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs .

Under the Act, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and An Garda Síochána are designated as the organisations with responsibility for child protection and welfare.

The Act places additional obligations on providers of certain services to children. While this Department has limited direct interaction with children, to meet our obligations under the Act, the Department has developed a Sectoral Implementation Plan and a Child Safeguarding Statement.

Web Accessibility 

We aim to comply with Level Double-A of the Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  

Customer Service

Customer Service

Customer Service Policy

Quality customer service is a key priority for this Department. The Customer Service Charter sets out the level of service you can expect when dealing with us.

We've developed our Customer Service Charter to ensure we consistently deliver the highest standard of service to all our customers, both at home and overseas.

View the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Customer Service Charter.

Find out more about Passport Complaints Procedures.

Find out more about Passport Appeals Procedures.

Find out more about the FBR review process.

Find out more about the Authentications appeals process.

Find out more about our Policy on Responding to Unreasonable Communication.

Complaints and Appeal Procedure

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of our complaints and appeal procedure, you can refer the matter to the Ombudsman by clicking on the ‘Make A Complaint’ link at www.ombudsman.ie

Further contact details for the Ombudsman are at https://www.ombudsman.ie/contact/

Office of the Ombudsman,
6 Earlsfort Terrace,
Dublin 2, D02 W773 
Telephone: 01 639 5600
 
You should contact the Ombudsman for Children (www.oco.ie) if your complaint concerns a service provided to a child (under 18)

Our Commitment to Standards

Our Commitment to Standards

We are actively involved in implementing our part in the national Public Service Reform process.  In the management of our work we strive to achieve the highest standards and are guided by the following polices and processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness:

Public Service Reform Programme

Public Finance Procedures

Climate Action

Fraud Policy

Audit Standards

Standards and Ethics

Public Service Reform Programme

This Public Service Reform Programme is being led centrally by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The goal is to achieve high-performing public service organisations that will work together to

  • Provide value for money and quality public services
  • Meet the needs of our community and also our international obligations

It is also underpinned by values of integrity, fairness, accountability and openness.

Our Integrated Reform Delivery Plan has been developed in the light of the Public Service Reform Programme.

It complements our reform and efficiency activities under the Croke Park Agreement (Public Service Agreement 2010-2014).

Public Finance Procedures

Our financial procedures and accounting policies are in line with the Public Financial Procedures issued by the Department of Finance. These are a set of guidelines, issued by the Department of Finance, to ensure that public finances are managed according to best practice.  

We use the Public Financial Procedures to develop policies, procedures and guidelines for the Department and the management team that ensures our financial management is cohesive and meets the high standards expected from the public service.

Climate Action

On 21st December, 2022, the Government published a new whole-of-Government Climate Action Plan, aimed at ensuring that Ireland effectively plays its part in addressing the growing challenges of climate change.  The Plan outlined how the various strands of national and local government will work to reduce our country’s greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time strengthening our resilience and our capacity to adapt to the now unavoidable impacts of climate change. 

Climate Action Roadmap

The Climate Action Roadmapis a document produced by public sector bodies which communicates how each public body aims to meet the requirements of the Climate Action Mandate 2022 to reach its 2030 carbon and energy efficiency targets. The Department of Foreign Affairs is taking important steps towards promoting a sustainable future and reducing the impacts of climate change. As outlined in the Departments roadmap, we will be working towards important steps to reduce carbon emissions. This Department's roadmap was approved by the Department's Management Board in October 2023 and can be viewed here.

Audit standards

The work of our Internal Audit Unit  in the Department is governed by international Internal Audit Standards, which comprise:

  • the Definition of Internal Auditing
  • the Code of Ethics
  • the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (International Standards) issued by the global professional body, the Institute of Internal Auditors (the IIA).  

Fraud policy

Our fraud policy covers any fraud, whether perpetrated internally or externally against the Department. It includes fraud by any provider of goods and services but it does not relate to fraud in wholly independent organisations that have received grants or financial assistance from us.

Our key ways of preventing fraud are by

  • Encouraging a culture of awareness and have measures in place to recognise and minimise the risk of fraud
  • Having procedures in place for the prevention, detection, investigation, reporting and management of fraud
  • Co-operating fully where an investigation of fraud is carried out
  • Making available confidential and appropriate reporting mechanisms so that anyone, in good faith, can report genuine concerns
  • Protecting those who in good faith report instances of suspected fraud
  • Investigating immediately cases of suspected fraud in accordance with departmental and wider Civil Service procedures and, fully respecting the principles of due process and natural justice, pursue perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law
  • Maintaining the principles of confidentiality in any investigation of fraud
  • Learning from any occurrence of fraud to prevent it being repeated.

Standards and Ethics

All our staff comply with  the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour

For more information on our ethics obligations under the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995 and 2001, contact the Standards in Public Office Commission

18 Lower Leeson Street

Dublin 2

D02 HE97                                                             

Telephone: 01 678 5222

LoCall: 1890 223030