Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I notice there is an increase in pay of €4.7 million and an increase in non-pay costs of €4 million. This falls under the category of administration. Perhaps the Minister will expand on that.

Like other members, I welcome the new passport card. How much will it cost and when will people be able to receive it? What is the thinking behind the card? What is the difference between the passport card and a regular passport? It would be useful if people listening today got a sense of what the card might be used for.

Are there are plans to open new embassies in 2015? Returning from a trip to Iran, we were under the impression that if an embassy were to be opened, the Department would look favourably on the embassy we used to have there. Is any decision being made on that embassy? To where will services be expanded?