The total administrative cost of Irish missions abroad was €52.23m in 2011 and €51.66m in 2012. This was a year-on-year reduction of €0.57m for the diplomatic network of 56 Embassies, 7 multilateral Missions and 10 Consulates General and other offices overseas. Three diplomatic missions – Embassies to the Holy See and Iran, and our Irish Aid office in East Timor - were closed during 2012. The figures do not include the costs of the Irish based staff as these are a charge on the overall budget of the Department rather than on a specific Mission. 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; economic and cultural promotion; frontline consular and passport services to Irish citizens overseas; engaging with Irish communities and harnessing the resource they offer in assisting economic recovery; and programme management, particularly in Irish Aid priority countries.