Ambassador Martin Fraser's residence in London costs taxpayer €43,500 a month

Irish Independent

16 hours ago

The department confirmed it paid estate agency Knight Frank €522,394 in 2024 to cover just a single-year lease on the English property, which is home to ambassador Martin Fraser.
The colossal bill was part of at least €3.95m paid out last year in rental costs for residences for senior Irish diplomats across the globe.
Other lease costs included payments of €485,000 for the official residence in Tokyo, €291,000 for an apartment in New York and €204,000 in payments in San Francisco. The rental bill in Tel Aviv was almost €200,000, it was around €176,000 in Boston, and €135,000 in Seoul in South Korea.
The department also ran up 15 separate hotel and accommodation bills in excess of €5,000 last year, according to figures released under FOI laws.
This included €30,480 at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin 4 to host a delegation during the state visit by the president of Vietnam last October.
There was a bill of €9,300 from the same hotel for a visit by the Egyptian president in December while €5,241 was paid for accommodation at the Seven Alpina Hotel as part of Ireland's participation in the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.
The department said an €8,408 bill at the four-star Fifty Sonesta Hotel in New York was for a staff member taking up a new diplomatic posting. Among other bills last year were €24,054 paid to the Dublin Airport Authority for platinum services for visiting dignitaries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said this covered three separate delegations from Vietnam, South Africa and China. To offset the carbon emissions of globe-trotting diplomatic staff, a sum of €99,623 was paid to the Government's climate action fund.
The department said these payments are government policy since 2020 and that the fund was used to support climate-related projects and initiatives in Ireland. A total of €97,000 was paid in legal 'settlement costs' at the Passport Office, a database of departmental expenditure for 2024 showed.
However, the department was tight-lipped on what was involved and said that 'further details can't be released on confidentiality grounds.'
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
Other bills from last year included €62,418 to SOS International Assistance, a UK-based company who provides health and security services.
The department said this included medical and security advice, digital risk mitigation, training and personal safety.
A furniture removal bill of €26,019 was incurred last December, which covered the cost of bringing art back to the National Gallery and the Office of Public Works from the continent. The department said: 'Pieces from Berlin and pieces from Stockholm were transported and returned to Ireland.
'The artworks on display in our mission properties are key promotional tools, helping us to promote Irish culture, values and heritage.'
The art transport bill was part of at least €900,000 that was spent on removal and storage costs for staff packing up and moving to missions across the world.
Other costs for the department included €4.65m for passport booklets and €8.6m for postage and courier costs.
Around €64,000 was spent on chauffeured cars, €11,600 for a BMW vehicle in Washington DC and €43,000 for 'items of artistic value'.
There was €3.7m worth of invoices for major maintenance on residences overseas, including redecoration and construction.
Asked about the high rental bill for the London residence, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the property had been chosen following a market assessment process.
On hotel and other VIP costs, it said: 'We are responsible for the effective management of incoming visits by heads of state and government and other high-level foreign dignitaries to Ireland.
'These visits advance Ireland's values and interests, unlock opportunities, strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships and position Ireland as a proactive and influential global partner.'