Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am fascinated by Ms Cross’s understanding that the new embassies, as proposed by the Department, will be self-funding. Could she elaborate on how an embassy becomes a self-funding entity? I criticised the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade because I could not understand the economics of closing three embassies on economic grounds, re-opening one and announcing the opening of maybe five new embassies, all from the existing budget. I am now getting an insight into how they will be self-funded.