More time for foreign affairs

IT is, of course, the Estimates season, when the Ministers from all the Government departments trudge along to the Department of Finance in Merrion Street to argue about how much money they will be allowed to spend this year. The Margin understands that the Department of Foreign Affairs had to ask for a last-minute raincheck. It was due in towards the end of the week but the new Minister needs time to be briefed on the need for all those new embassies before he can go and bang the table with Mr McCreevy and his parsimonious officials.