FOR a nation ob­sessed with its finances, it may come as a shock that in a given year Ireland can send over €1bn overseas, away from our ailing economy.

Despite the ruthless budget cuts of the past two years, documents released to the Sunday Tribune show government departments' foreign spending is an integral part of annual budgets and may prove difficult to curtail.

In 2008, the government spent €1.1bn on everything from magazine subscriptions to multi-million euro weapons contracts. For €10,000, we even sourced a Norwegian system designed to identify sheep.

The Departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs were, unsurprisingly, the biggest spenders, with Foreign Affairs allocating the vast bulk of its budget to providing humanitarian aid overseas.

In 2008, about 82% of its overall budget, or €845m, was sent to a host of underdeveloped regions and countries.

A department spokesman said that "by its nature [it] necessitates the spending of exchequer funds overseas. This spend is crucial in maintaining Ireland's diplomatic relations, promoting Irish interests, supporting Irish citizens abroad and delivering the government's overseas development programme."

Countries that benefited from Irish government aid included Ethiopia (€36m), Vietnam (€20m) and Uganda (€41m).

Other projects funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs included a fertiliser and seed programme in Malawi; a HIV/Aids programme in Mozambique which provided treatment for 124,200 people; and a school project in Tanzania, which resulted in school attendance jumping from 57% to 97% in just seven years.

The Department of Defence was the second-highest spender with a total investment of €120m in 2008. According to documents, this included nearly 700 business and financial exchanges with more than 30 countries. The UK was the biggest beneficiary, with over 400 transactions completed that year.

Invoices met by the department typically included anything from army or air corps supplies to education and training or handling and travel charges.

The department struck multi-million euro deals with several countries to supply the defence forces. Individual arms and equipment deals included €22.8m with Italy, €9.1m with Switzerland, €8m with South Africa, €5.5m with Spain, €4.6m with Belgium and €1.2m with Israel.

Cheques were signed for army school music (UK: €1,248), counselling (UK: €9,924), pack rations (UK: €1m), floor repairs (UK: €9,926), an Asgard wreck survey (UK: €4,146), printing (UK: €28,156) and advertising charges (UK and Poland: €21,267).

The €120m does not include money or allowances paid to staff.

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries spent €35.3m in 2008, the bulk of which was paid to foreign suppliers.

Forestry grants were awarded to Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, the UK, Holland and the USA.

Italian companies were the largest recipients with €14.3m, followed by those in the UK (€9.8m), Holland (€4.1m) and France (€372,526).

The department's largest single payout was €10.4m to the World Food Programme. It also spent €4m on tubercolois treatment and paid €2m to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Amongst the lengthy index of invoices paid that year were seed testing bills, €4,500 for laundry at meat plants, €46,600 in BSE compensation, BSE testing, costs associated with Asian flu and the purchase of a national sheep ID system.

Social-welfare payments to Irish citizens overseas accounted for a €25.4m expenditure in 2008, according to documents.

Those payments included €6.6m for illness benefit, €3.8m for invalidity pensions, €11.4m for widow's pensions and €87,000 in job-seekers' allowance.

A spokeswoman for the department of Social Protection said: "Anyone who is claiming job seekers' allowance in Ireland is entitled to transfer that to another country for a period of up to 78 days and during that time they would have to present themselves to the equivalent office over there."

The department spent a further €1.3m on free travel for people crossing the border to Northern Ireland and €3.5m on IT services.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment spent €25m overseas in 2008, making it the fifth-highest spender.

Its biggest spend was €13.5m bill to the European Space Agency, the 'gateway to space', whose mission is to "shape the development of Europe's space capability".

Large payments were also made to the UN's International Labour Organisation (€1.1m), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (€963,978) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (€287,058).

The Department of Finance lists its foreign obligations at €12.2m, most of which was used to fund the Peace Programme and Interreg Programme aimed at promoting peace in Northern Ireland. Organisations such as the Leuven Institute and the European Institute of Public Administration, which oversee international integration within the EU, also received funding.

The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government spent a total of €12.1m in 2008.

Its biggest spends included the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (€1.6m), Eumetstat (weather and climate data information provided to member countries – €1.6m) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (€1m).

Accounting for most of its €7.2m budget, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources paid companies and experts in the areas of drilling, geological surveying and a variety of environmental services.

Chief amongst its beneficiaries was the Loughs Agency (€2.6m), a body with a statutory remit to preserve, protect and develop the lough areas around Foyle and Carlingford. Universities in the north have also received substantial sums.

The Department of Transport's total spend overseas in 2008 was €6m. This did not include any costs associated with the supply of 'rolling stock' – trains, buses or other transportation – which is funded directly by Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus.

The department's largest outgoing was €5m on the North/South Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.

The Department of Education spent €4m and most of this (€2.3m) was paid to teachers working on secondment in European schools, provisions for which are made under international convention.

Membership of Unesco (€1.1m) and a €45,000 hotel bill for officials visiting conferences abroad also make up the total.

Annual costs of around €2.4m at the Department of Health were primarily made up of a €1.7m subscription to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as conference and seminar fees, training courses, professional advice services, software and legal settlements.

The Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism spent €1.4m that year, most of which went on archival materials and financial support for cultural institutions. The biggest recipients were Library and Archives Canada (€878,446) and the University of Ulster (€200,000).

According to the Department of Justice, which had the third lowest foreign expenditure: "The great bulk of this expenditure was spent on flights to return illegal immigrants."

In its efforts to promote the Irish language, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs sent the bulk of its overseas capital to universities that include the language in their programmes – €760,840 of its total €1m bill was spent on these courses.

"A dedicated fund was established in 2006 to provide funding for the teaching of Irish in overseas universities," the department said.

"The objectives of the fund are to promote and foster goodwill for the Irish language and culture and Ireland in general across Europe, North America, Canada and further afield."

At a modest €479,000, the Department of the Taoiseach spent the least amount of money outside Ireland. Most of its budget went on an 'e-cabinet' computer programme.

With all government departments facing stringent cutbacks in December's budget, it is unlikely that the level of expenditure on overseas services will be maintained.

SOME OF IRELAND'S FOREIGN SPENDING

CANADA – €74,700 funding for the 'Irish Legacy Project'

USA – €6.8m various military equipment, training and education

SPAIN – €702 membership fee to the International Association of Vulcanology & Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI)

ETHIOPIA – €36m foreign aid

NORWAY – €10,000 national sheep ID system

UK – €444,316 European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting

GERMANY – €73,100 government funding of Irish language courses at the University of Bonn.

FRANCE – €14,000 membership subscription to the International Vine & Wine Office
– €13.5m European Space Agency

SWITZERLAND – €3,800 to the International Seed Testing Association

ITALY – €10.4m World Food Programme grant
– €22.8m to Augusta SPA for air corps contract

AUSTRIA – €1.9m payments to International Atomic Energy Agency

ISRAEL – €1.2m military equipment

NEW ZEALAND – €132,220 Dept of Defence education and training

AUSTRALIA – €9,000 advice for Department of Health

VIETNAM – €20m foreign aid