Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 361: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the costs, staff numbers and premises associated with the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See and the Embassy of Ireland to Italy respectively in the past year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43005/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have prepared in tabular form, details sought in regard to the two Irish Embassies operating in Rome: the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See and the Embassy of Ireland to the Italian State, which is also accredited to Libya, San Marino and Malta. The Ambassador to Italy is also Ireland's Permanent Representative to the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), all international organisations based in Rome.

The overall operating budget figures for each Embassy as detailed below relate to: salaries, travel, post and telecommunications, office machinery, office premises expenses and incidental expenses.

In regard to Embassy premises: the Embassy to the Holy See is owned by the State, where the Chancery and Ambassadorial Residence are combined in a single building. Premises expenses, as detailed below relate to the maintenance of the building. In the case of the Embassy to Italy, both the Chancery and the Residence are rented properties and the premises expenses figures primarily relate to these rental costs. The Residence is rented on favourable terms as the Irish State has rented the property for over fifty years. The Chancery is rented on a long term lease having moved into its current premises in 1996.

It should be noted that there is no possibility of combining either the premises or Ambassadorial duties of these two Missions, as apart from having very different purposes, the Vatican will not accept the accreditation of an Ambassador who is also the Ambassador to the Italian State and neither will they accept the accreditation of an Embassy with the same address as the Embassy to the Italian State.

* These figures do not include domestic staff employed by each Ambassador.