THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs has made annual savings of more than €3.5 million through measures including negotiating rent reductions for embassies, retaining embassy vehicles for longer and streamlining personnel so that seven overseas missions are staffed by just one diplomat.
In its submission to the Croke Park agreement review process, the department has outlined savings of just over €1.5 million a year, which was achieved through cutting employee numbers by 31 to 1,484.
Annual savings of more than €600,000 have been made through a process of regrading or suppression of diplomatic posts, which was introduced in mid-2009.
The missions concerned include Berlin, Brussels, London, Paris, Boston, Chicago, New York, Washington, Riyadh, Rome, Seoul, and Tehran.
The department has also trialled what it calls “a lighter model of diplomatic and consular representation” which has resulted in missions in Atlanta, Edinburgh, Luxembourg, Nicosia, Riga, Tallinn and Valetta being staffed by only one diplomatic officer. This has resulted in savings of €240,000 annually.
The department has succeeded in obtaining rent reductions for several diplomatic missions for 2012. These include Athens, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Capetown, Brussels, Bucharest, Riga and Nicosia. The total savings amount to some €600,000 a year.
The implementation of a tighter policy on purchasing and replacing embassy vehicles has achieved annual savings of €200,000.
The department’s submission, which was made on May 3rd, also notes that extending the use of video conferencing facilities at all missions and offices in Ireland overseas, including the four passport offices, has resulted in savings of €300,000 a year on travel and subsistence costs.