Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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122. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the original budget approved for the construction and fit-out of Ireland House, Tokyo, in 2018; and the current projected final cost, including itemised expenditures on land, construction and fit-out (details supplied). [57854/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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128. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the original budget approved for Ireland House, Tokyo, in 2018, including allocations for land, construction and fit-out, alongside the current projected final cost (details supplied). [57863/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 128 together.

The detailed breakdown below includes the land cost, archaeology and planning fees as well as the development costs of Ireland House Tokyo.

Land Acquisition and Associated Costs:

Land Cost €7,739,705.44 + Archaeology and Planning fees = total €8,538,173.62.

Development Budget Ireland House Tokyo (Programme Oversight Board Budget approved in 2021):

Construction cost €20,185,254.58

Fit-Out Furniture - €1,302,636.90

Contingency - €5,579,994.20

Professional Fees €2,805,513.17

Other Costs Permits - €69,475.0

Total Development Budget- €29,942,873.85

The Projected Final Development Cost is expected to be €27.5 million.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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123. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the primary causes of the €12 million overrun for the construction and fit-out of Ireland House, Tokyo; the extent to which rising construction costs in Tokyo, changes in project scope, design alterations, or unforeseen site conditions contributed to same (details supplied). [57855/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There has been no cost overrun on the Ireland House Tokyo project.

A project budget of €29.9m was formally approved by the Department’s Programme Oversight Board in June 2021. This project budget included construction costs, furniture and fitting costs, professional & legal fees, and other project costs.

The project has been delivered comfortably within that budget, notwithstanding the exceptional inflation experienced in global construction markets over that time period.

The development of Ireland House Tokyo has provided a significant new asset for Ireland in this strategic market.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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124. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether the Ireland House, Tokyo project still delivers value for money for Irish taxpayers, particularly those in constituencies such as Cork North-Central with strong export interests in Japan (details supplied); and the way in which this aligns with the strategic objectives of the "Global Ireland 2025" initiative. [57856/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The project was managed in line with the requirements of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Public Spending Code (now Infrastructure Guidelines) which mandated comprehensive economic assessments at key decision gates throughout the life cycle of this project. These assessments demonstrated clearly that when compared to the costs of renting office premises for embassy, State Agencies and official accommodation for the ambassador in Tokyo, the construction represents the best Value for Money option.

The development of Ireland House Tokyo has provided a significant new asset for Ireland in this strategic market.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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125. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any contractual or procurement procedures were modified during the construction or fit-out phases of Ireland House, Tokyo; if so, the specific changes that were made; and the reason (details supplied). [57857/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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126. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the estimated annual operating cost of Ireland House, Tokyo compared to the previous leased embassy facilities; and the way in which these costs will impact his Department’s budget for supporting trade promotion in key markets such as Japan. [57858/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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127. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures his Department has implemented to prevent further cost escalations and ensure robust oversight of public funds for Ireland House, Tokyo and future overseas capital projects. [57859/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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130. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the contractual or procurement procedures altered during the construction or fit-out phases of Ireland House Tokyo; the specific changes and their cost implications; and the estimated annual operating cost of Ireland House Tokyo compared to the previous leased embassy facilities (details supplied). [57865/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 to 127, inclusive, and 130 together.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two Votes - Vote 27 (International Cooperation) and Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade).

The policy of the Department is to operate competitive tendering as standard procedure in order to achieve best value for money. Procurement takes place in the context of Directive 2014/24/EU and supported by Procurement Guidelines 2023 published by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). No procurement procedures were altered during the construction or fit-out phases of the Ireland House Tokyo project.

There has been no overspend on the Ireland House Tokyo project budget. A project budget of €29.9m was formally approved by the Department’s Programme Oversight Board in June 2021. This project budget included construction costs, furniture and fitting costs, professional & legal fees, and other project costs. The project has been delivered comfortably within that budget, notwithstanding the exceptional inflation experienced in global construction markets over the time period.

The project was managed in line with the requirements of the Public Spending Code (now Infrastructure Guidelines) which mandated comprehensive economic assessments at key decision gates throughout the life cycle of the project. These assessments demonstrated clearly that, at the approved budget of €29.9 million and when compared to the costs of renting office premises for embassy, State Agencies and official accommodation for the ambassador in Tokyo, the construction represents the best value for money option.

The development of Ireland House Tokyo has provided a significant new asset for Ireland in this strategic market.

The average cost for this Department of operating the chancery and residence leased properties in Tokyo between 2022-2024 was €0.8 million per annum. The Department anticipates that it will save in the region €0.5 million per annum on operational property running costs as a result of this project. The full quantification of these savings will not be available until 2026.

These savings are being factored into the Department's 2026 overall budget planning for the Department's global mission network. Additionally, the Department has secured additional funding in Budget 2026 to continue to support trade promotion in existing key trade markets as well as in new and diverse markets in line with the Government Action Plan on Market Diversification which was published in August 2025.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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129. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the primary drivers of the €12 million overrun for Ireland House Tokyo, including the impact of rising construction costs in Tokyo, changes in project scope, design modifications, or unforeseen site conditions; and his views on the project’s value for money for Irish taxpayers, particularly those in export-driven constituencies such as Cork North-Central, where businesses rely on DFA-supported trade promotion in Japan, Ireland’s largest Asian trading partner (details supplied). [57864/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There has been no cost overrun on the Ireland House Tokyo project.

A project budget of €29.9m was formally approved by the Department’s Programme Oversight Board in June 2021. This project budget included construction costs, furniture and fitting costs, professional & legal fees, and other project costs.

The project has been delivered comfortably within that budget, notwithstanding the exceptional inflation experienced in global construction markets over the time period.

The project was managed in line with the requirements of the Public Spending Code (now Infrastructure Guidelines) which mandated comprehensive economic assessments at key decision gates throughout the life cycle of the project.

These assessments demonstrated clearly that, at the approved budget of €29.9 million and when compared to the costs of renting office premises for embassy, State Agencies and official accommodation for the ambassador in Tokyo, the construction represents the best Value for Money option.

The development of Ireland House Tokyo has provided a significant new asset for Ireland in this strategic market.