How we spend your money
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
The Department of Foreign Affairs budget is allocated across six expenditure programmes which correspond to the High-Level Goals as set out in the Department’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2023. Of these six programmes, five are managed through Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and one through Vote 27 (International Cooperation).
The budget allocations for each Programme include pay and non-pay administration costs incurred at headquarters and by diplomatic missions across the world. These administration costs are allocated with regard to the assessed contribution made by business units to each Programme.
The Department also has a capital allocation, primarily used for the passport reform programme, for ICT investment and for the management of State properties overseas.
The Department’s gross expenditure in 2023 is projected to be €1.057 billion, of which over €716 million is to fund Irish Aid. The capital allocation for 2023 - included in the figure of €1.057 billion - is €25 million.
As well as expenditure to support our programmes, the Department also receives income from various sources, most notably the Passport Service. In 2023, total receipts in the Department (known as Appropriations-in-Aid) are estimated at €66.030 million.
The programmes that we implement are as follows:
The aim of this programme is to effectively deliver passport and consular services for our citizens; support our emigrants and deepen engagement with our diaspora; sustain peace and enhance reconciliation and political progress in Northern Ireland; and increase North South and British-Irish cooperation.
Under this programme, the 2023 allocation will allow the Department to:
The allocation in 2023 for this programme is €112.785 million.
The aim of this programme is to support the development of strong relationships with the EU institutions and other Member States. The programme also supports Ireland’s contribution to the EU’s global engagement on peace, security, trade and development, as well as security in the wider European region
Under this programme, the 2023 allocation will allow the Department to:
The allocation in 2023 for this programme is €44.363 million.
The aim of this programme is to advance Ireland’s contribution towards a more just world through the promotion and protection of human rights internationally and a more secure world based on a stable and secure rules-based international environment.
Under this programme, the 2023 allocation will allow the Department to:
The allocation in 2023 for this programme is €64.599 million.
The aim of this programme is to assist the Department’s work in focusing on leveraging our resources to drive job creation, exports (including cultural exports), inward investment and the tourism and education market.
Under this programme, the 2023 allocation will allow the Department to:
The allocation in 2023 for this programme is €47.812 million.
The aim of this programme is to strengthen our corporate performance, with a view to improving public service and supporting officers and their families serving the State abroad. This includes security of our staff and State properties abroad, enhanced corporate governance, increased public diplomacy, a strong commitment to transparency, customer satisfaction engagement and reviewing and upgrading key corporate processes and procedures.
Under this programme, the 2023 allocation will allow the Department to:
The allocation in 2023 for this programme is €71.069 million.
In ‘A Better World’, Ireland’s policy for international development, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to solidarity with the world’s poorest people. ‘A Better World’ situates effective international development co-operation as an essential foreign policy tool. It is a core component of our engagement with the EU, and in increasing our influence within the UN and in other key multilateral fora, as well as contributing to Ireland’s delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals
Under this programme, the 2023 allocation will allow the Department to:
The allocation in 2023 for this programme is €716.5 million. In addition to this funding administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) includes funding administered by a number of other Government Departments and Ireland’s share allocation of the EU Development Cooperation Budget.
More detail on each of the programmes can be found in the Department's Statement of Strategy 2021-2023.
More detail on the outputs and output targets for each programme is contained in the Revised Estimates for Public Services, published annually by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.