$138.3M set aside as Foreign Service Institute building moves closer to completion

Consideration of the 2026 budget estimates continued in the Committee of Supply on Tuesday, with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd facing questions from Opposition MP Amanza Walton-Desir over spending shifts and major priorities for the ministry, including a new building for the Foreign Service Institute.

Budget figures show that $138.3 million has been budgeted to help build the Foreign Service Institute; with Todd assuring that the project is advancing, telling the committee that the ministry is “erecting a new building” and that the estimate caters to that activity.

In the Budget Estimates, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is listed with a total proposed spending of about $10.03B for 2026, including $247.638M in capital expenditure.

Walton-Desir pressed the minister about changes in staffing and line items, including whether increases reflected new contracted positions or revised terms.

Todd responded by outlining movement in personnel, pointing to resignations and transfers, including posts such as a protocol officer and foreign service officers, among other administrative roles while signalling that overall employee costs reflected adjustments across the ministry’s staffing structure.

On facilities management, Walton-Desir questioned why the maintenance of buildings allocation declined year-on-year. Todd said the ministry had improved efficiency, noting it primarily maintains two buildings, and argued that upgrades and better upkeep practices reduced the required allocation.

Walton-Desir also raised concerns about declining allocations for office materials and supplies at a time of staffing increases and ongoing policy work.

Todd linked the reduction to the ministry’s digitisation drive, telling the committee the ministry is moving toward becoming a “paperless” operation—an effort he said would naturally reduce spending on paper-based supplies.