Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 40: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount of funding committed to in his Department for capital projects; if he will provide details of the projects and funding committed; the funds that have been drawn down for the projects; when the balance will be drawn down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26632/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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My Department is responsible for two Votes: Vote 27, International Cooperation and Vote 28, Foreign Affairs and Trade. For 2012, the Vote 28 capital allocation is €4.1million and the allocation for Vote 27 is €0.265m. The total expenditure to date is €287,000.

This funding is used to support the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services in my Department, the maintenance of state-owned properties abroad and the provision of vehicles for official use at missions abroad.

ICT-related capital expenditure covers the purchase of office machinery and equipment, including IT and telecommunications hardware and software to support the Department offices, at HQ and abroad, including the Passport Service. Current projects involving capital investment include upgrades to elements of the Passport Service infrastructure, upgrades to existing hardware and software applications and the provision of a solution for processing applications for Foreign Birth Registrations (citizenship through ancestry), Marriages Abroad and document authentications

The capital allocation in respect of premises expenses covers the cost of maintenance of state-owned properties abroad (used as offices and official residences of Ambassadors). Many of these properties have been owned by the State for several decades and refurbishment inevitably becomes necessary over time in order to ensure they remain fit use as platforms in promoting the interests of the State and also to protect the investment previously made.

Projects in respect of which funding has been committed to date are: