With the committee’s agreement, I will present for members' consideration the Supplementary Estimates for the Department of Foreign Affairs. These relate to Vote 27 - International Co-operation and Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs. In total, across both Votes, the request we are making is for a net increase of €71 million, comprising an increase of €25 million in Vote 27 and an increase of €46 million in Vote 28. This will increase the total voted expenditure ceiling for the Department of Foreign Affairs from €1.057 billion to €1.135 billion in 2023.
Members will have received the advance briefing note provided by my Department. This summarises the reasons for the increases, which I will be happy to explain in more detail before responding to any further questions may might have.
On Vote 27, the Department’s request is for an additional allocation of €25 million. The largest part of the request, €24 million, is for humanitarian assistance. In January, the UN estimated that there were 339 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance globally. That was the highest on record. Today, that figure is a staggering 365 million, the majority of whom are women and children.
Throughout 2023, Ireland has continued to play its part. We have supported responses to large-scale humanitarian crises and sudden onset emergencies, while not losing sight of our commitment to crises that are not receiving international attention or that are seriously underfunded. In Ukraine and the neighbouring region, Ireland has allocated €32 million in humanitarian and development aid this year. As we head into winter, Ukraine continues to face immense humanitarian and other challenges, with the continued bombardment by Russia of both civilians and critical infrastructure across the country. In Sudan, the devastating conflict that broke out in April has resulted in a humanitarian crisis that is not receiving the attention it should. Ireland has provided over €16 million this year to address the situation in Sudan and for refugees in the region. In Syria, years of conflict and its consequences continue to inflict unimaginable suffering on the civilian population. Ireland continues to stand by those impacted and has provided over €27 million in 2023. In the Horn of Africa, prolonged and extreme drought have more recently been compounded by widespread flooding. Communities continue to rely on humanitarian assistance for their survival. In 2023, Ireland provided nearly €20 million to support those communities. On top of these ongoing crises, the world has witnessed a series of devastating natural disasters this year, including earthquakes in Türkiye, Syria, Morocco and Afghanistan and floods in Libya. A total of €13.5 million was provided in response to those crises.
In the past two months, we have witnessed horrific scenes in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. The attack by Hamas was one of the worst acts of terrorism that Israel has ever experienced. The Government has condemned this without reservation. Since then, the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza has been deeply shocking and the humanitarian needs in Gaza continue to escalate. Most recent reports suggest that over 14,000 people have been killed, including 6,000 children and 4,000 women. More than 27,000 people are also reported to have been injured. More than 1.7 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including almost 900,000 displaced people who are staying in at least 154 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, shelters. Gaza’s civilian population urgently needs food, water and medical supplies. International agencies, including the UN, need sustained access and adequate fuel to ensure that these vital supplies can be distributed without further delay. Now that a temporary truce has been established, we must ensure the flow of humanitarian aid is significantly increased. As the committee will be aware, even before this conflict broke out, a large proportion of Palestinians already depended on the UNRWA for basic services, including education, health and water. Despite the killing of more than 100 of its staff, UNRWA continues to do its utmost to support civilians in dire need. Ireland has been a long-time supporter of UNRWA.
The Supplementary Estimate under consideration today will underpin an additional €10 million pledge that was made to UNRWA by the Tánaiste on 18 October, bringing Ireland’s total funding this year to UNRWA to €18 million. This will support UNRWA’s core functions, including its staff and operations, as well as procurement of the materials it needs to deliver vital services in these most difficult of times.
In October, the Tánaiste also announced additional support of €3 million to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, which runs the occupied Palestinian territories humanitarian fund. That fund directs emergency aid to where needs are greatest through trusted, established humanitarian partners on the ground. With this Supplementary Estimate, we will aim to provide additional funding for Gaza through UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, which is working to provide life-saving food and water, and the World Health Organization. We will also provide further support to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the work of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza and the Egyptian Red Crescent at the border. We will also work through partners such as the UNHCR and the International Committee of the Red Cross to address the regional implications of the crisis, in countries such as Lebanon, where extreme levels of vulnerability will be further compounded, and in Syria where insecurity continues to rise.
In addition to the appalling suffering in Gaza, it is important that we continue to highlight increasing violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. More than 200 Palestinians, including 52 children, have been killed by Israeli forces since 7 October. This is a cause for serious concern and Ireland redoubles our calls for the protection of civilians as a priority. Ireland is widely recognised to have projected global leadership on this crisis since 7 October. We have taken a principled, human-centred approach. Ireland has consistently called for a durable humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of all civilians and the release of all hostages. Finding a path to peace – a path to a two-state solution, to which the Government is unwavering in its commitment – remains essential.
In addition to the request for humanitarian assistance, we are requesting a Supplementary Estimate of €1 million towards the purchase of new official accommodation in Bogotá, Colombia. The property in question is currently being rented and a detailed business case has identified it as the most satisfactory option on the market to meet the embassy’s business needs, while also ensuring the security of staff.
As an aside, I was in one country recently where there were about 30 staff in the embassy but we also had to employ 30 security staff full time. That gives an indication of the importance of security in some of the countries where we have our embassies.
On Vote 28, the Department’s request is for an additional allocation of €53 million gross or €46 million net. This takes account of anticipated additional income of €7 million, mainly arising from passports. The specific reasons for the Supplementary Estimate are as follows. The largest part, €35.9 million, relates to Ireland’s contributions to international organisations. This can be broken down into two components. First, we are seeking €24.8 million in respect of Ireland’s contributions to the European Peace Facility, EPF, an important instrument aimed at enhancing the European Union's ability to prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security. Given the huge upsurge in needs, emanating in particular from the conflict in Ukraine, a number of decisions have been taken in the past year providing for increases in the ceiling of the EPF, which now stands at more than €12 billion.
Based on that ceiling and the GNI key that currently applies, Ireland’s total commitment up to 2027 stands at approximately €271 million and the Supplementary Estimate will go towards that figure. It is worth recalling that total support for Ukraine under the EPF now amounts to €5.6 billion, including €5.22 billion for lethal equipment and approximately €380 million for non-lethal equipment. In line with commitments in the programme for Government, Ireland has abstained from decisions to supply lethal equipment and does not contribute financially to these aspects of the packages. Instead, our contribution is directed exclusively towards the provision of non-lethal support.
An additional €11.1 million is required in respect of Ireland’s assessed contributions to the UN system, in particular our share of UN peacekeeping costs. Ireland does not have control over the contributions we are required to pay by virtue of our membership of the UN and contributions are not evenly spread over the three-year payment cycle operated by the UN. A large share of the UN's expenditure addresses its core mission of peace and security. The peacekeeping budget can vary significantly from year to year in line with the size and complexity of operations mandated by the UN Security Council, many of which are subject to annual change. At close to $6.6 billion for the current year, the peacekeeping budget significantly exceeds the UN regular budget largely due to the increase in the size, number and complexity of these operations worldwide. An additional €6.2 million is towards the purchase of new official accommodation in Washington, DC. The balance of the purchase price will be met from the Department’s capital allocation. I am sure the committee will appreciate that there can be commercial sensitivities in the completion of property transactions but I can advise that the purchase price is around $12 million and that the Department has completed the necessary governance steps under the public spending code. The committee will understand that Ireland’s relationship with the US is, arguably, the country’s single-most important bilateral relationship, along with the UK. The Embassy of Ireland in Washington, DC is charged with managing and overseeing this strategic partnership. The previous accommodation was in a poor state of repair and would have required substantial refurbishment. The new premises, which is currently rented, will come to be recognised as a key foreign policy asset, projecting a positive image of Ireland and of Ireland’s ambition and commitment to a dynamic and progressive bilateral relationship with the US for generations to come. The high-quality facilities are of a scale appropriate to the requirements to support Ireland’s social, political, cultural and economic objectives in this key country. The purchase of the property is due to be completed in mid-December, I hope.
A sum of €5.7 million is requested for non-pay administration costs. This funding will support the fit-out of existing and new properties overseas, including new Ireland House premises, as well as higher than anticipated rental, maintenance and energy costs for our properties overseas. The Department of Foreign Affairs is currently managing a significant number of property projects to realise the ambition of the Global Ireland initiative to enhance Ireland’s global impact and influence to 2025 and beyond. These include the new Ireland House in Tokyo, the largest capital investment the Department has ever made, representing Ireland’s strong commitment to our partnership with Japan, the construction of a new embassy office in Abuja, Nigeria, a new Ireland House in Singapore and the fit-out of premises for new missions in Manila, Frankfurt, Rabat, which is in Morocco, Manchester, Toronto, Miami, and Lyon.
A sum of €3.2 million is requested for the emigrant support programme The Government remains committed to supporting Irish communities all over the world, not just in the UK, US and Canada but also in countries with younger diasporas such as Australia, New Zealand and the Gulf states. This year, the value of applications to the emigrant support programme outstripped - by a considerable margin - the funding available. Hence, the request for additional funding, which will bring total funding to more than €17 million, enabling us to support additional front-line service providers, as well as community, cultural, heritage and capital projects. It will also help to mitigate adverse currency movements and inflationary pressures.
Finally, €2 million is requested to meet the Government’s commitments to the International Fund for Ireland. The IFI plays a unique role in advancing peace and reconciliation on our island. Its status as an independent international organisation and its reputation of neutrality, as well as its long-established links with the communities, mean that the IFI has a unique position of trust. Under the International Fund for Ireland connecting communities strategy, the Government has committed to funding IFI programme costs in the amount of €20 million during the term of the strategy, which runs to 2025. The amount requested today will ensure we can meet that commitment. I thank the committee for its time. I look forward to taking questions from members.
