THE London gaff of the Irish Ambassador to the UK is a Brit pricey to rent — at €43,500 a month.
It’s one of a string of high-cost properties the Department of Foreign Affairs are leasing.
They paid estate agency Knight Frank €522,394 in 2024 to cover just a single year’s lease on the English property, which is home to Ambassador Martin Fraser.
The colossal bill was part of at least €3.95million paid out last year in rental costs for the residences of senior Irish diplomats across the globe.
Other sky-high lease costs included payments of €485,000 for Ireland’s official residence in Tokyo.
We also fork out €291,000 for an apartment in New York, and €204,000 for a pad in San Francisco.
The rental bill in Tel Aviv, Israel, was almost €200,000, around €176,000 in Boston, and €135,000 in the South Korean capital Seoul.
The Department also ran up 15 separate hotel and accommodation bills in excess of €5,000 last year, according to FoI figures.
This included a spend of €30,480 at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin 4 to host a delegation during the state visit by To Lam, the former President of Vietnam, last October.
There was another bill of €9,300 from the same hotel for a visit by the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in December.
And €5,241 was spent on accommodation at the Seven Alpina Hotel as part of Ireland’s participation in the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Department said an €8,408 bill at the four-star Fifty Sonesta Hotel in New York was for a staff member taking up a new posting.
CAR COSTS
Among the other bills last year were €24,054 paid to the Dublin Airport Authority for platinum services for visiting dignitaries.
Around €64,000 was spent on chauffeured cars with €11,600 paid out for a BMW in Washington DC.
And €3.7million went on major maintenance of our residences overseas.
Asked about the high rental bill for the Irish Ambassador’s London pad, the Department said it had been chosen following a market assessment process.
On hotel and other VIP costs, they said: “[We are] responsible for the effective management of incoming visits by heads of state and government and other high-level foreign dignitaries to Ireland.
“These visits advance Ireland’s values and interests, unlock opportunities, strengthen bilateral and multi-lateral relationships and position Ireland as a proactive and influential global partner.”
The London gaff costs €43,500 a month[/caption]
