An additional €2 million was allocated in Budget 2018 to cover initial expenditure by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the expansion and strengthening of Ireland’s diplomatic presence overseas. Work is well underway on the initial phase of the expansion which includes the Government decision to open new Embassies in Chile, Colombia, Jordan, and New Zealand, and new Consulates General in Vancouver, Canada and Mumbai, India.
A project team is managing the expansion and extensive planning is underway to ensure the initiative makes the most efficient use of the Department’s human and financial resources. Work is advancing to facilitate the opening of the Consulate General in Vancouver and the Embassy in Wellington in early Q4 2018. The timeline for opening in Chile, Colombia, Jordan and the Mumbai is Q1 2019. Based on the timelines for opening, there has been minimal spend to date this year but we expect the majority of expenditure for 2018 to be incurred in the latter half of the year when the first of the new offices will open.
The second phase of the expansion, approved by the Government in June in the context of the launch of ‘Global Ireland: Ireland’s Global Footprint to 2025’, will include opening new Consulates General in Cardiff, Frankfurt and Los Angeles and new Embassies in the Philippines, Morocco and Ukraine. Additional expenditure for future years will be decided via the annual Departmental budgetary process. Funding allocations for this initiative are currently under consideration as part of the 2019 Estimates process. Decisions on expenditure will be consistent with value for money principles and provide clear benefits for the State.
