Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Whether the amount involved is hundreds of thousands or millions or euro, that is significant. The obvious question that begs an answer is whether it would be cheaper to employ people with that expertise directly. When we are talking of figures of hundreds of thousands of euro or, in one case, millions of euro, it must be asked if it would not be cheaper to employ somebody full-time in those instances. When the Minister seeks such expert advice, we do not know what lies behind the subheading. Who are these consultants and how much are they getting paid? The figures seem to indicate they get paid a great deal.