BRUSSELS, LONDON, TOKYO, New York and Paris top the list of Ireland’s most expensive embassies in 2013.
In total, Ireland spent €43 million on embassies, with a further €7 million spent on missions in Africa and Vietnam.
The two Irish missions in Brussels are the most expensive, with the Permanent Representative to the EU costing €3.4 million and the embassy there costing €600,000. In New York, the Permanent Mission to the EU and the Consulate General cost around €3.5 million combined. London costs €2.7 million and Paris €1.6 million.
A drop of €400,000 in expenditure sees Tokyo costing €1.5 million.
Overall, the figures showed that spending was down by €1 million
The figures were revealed before the Dáil break by Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan who said:
Ireland’s missions abroad perform a wide range of functions in pursuit of Ireland’s foreign policy interests. These include representing and advancing government policies with other States and in international organisations, in particular the EU and the UN.
Expenditure
Flanagan pointed out that staffing and capital expenditure were not counted as they are taken from his department’s budget.
In a further answer, Flanagan revealed that €1.5 million was spent on premises, ICT and vehicles.
Flanagan says that that figure includes purchasing of fixtures and fittings, repairs, IT and “absolutely necessary” vehicle purchase.
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