99. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for a breakdown of the Irish embassies which are considered ‘hardship postings’, highlighting either the points allocation or the level of assigned hardship, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38312/24]

A breakdown of current hardship categorisation follows.

Postings at a number of DFA missions are categorised as hardship postings. These missions are in locations where there are assessed to be particularly difficult conditions across a range of factors including climate, health and social services, personal security and political tension.

Hardship ratings are calculated on a points-based system. The five categories of hardship run from A (greatest hardship) to E (minor hardship). These ratings are based on independently sourced data and are reviewed annually. There is no guarantee that a post will retain its hardship designation in any category for the duration of an officer’s posting.

2024 - Hardship Missions Overview

CATEGORY E

Sofia

Tel Aviv

Santiago

Pretoria

Abu Dhabi

Belgrade

Bangkok

Buenos Aires

Sarajevo

Kuala Lumpur

Shanghai

Ankara

CATEGORY D

Rabat

Brasilia

Beijing

Amman

Sao Paulo

Bogotá

Mexico City

Chisinau

Hanoi

Nairobi

CATEGORY C

Manila

Moscow

Riyadh

Kampala

Lilongwe

Cairo

Dar es Salaam

New Delhi

Lusaka

Mumbai

Dakar

Jakarta

CATEGORY B

Kyiv

Ramallah

Addis Ababa

Maputo

Tehran

CATEGORY A

Abuja

Freetown

Monrovia

Islamabad