Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A report published on our website sets out details of costs incurred by the Department in regard to all consultancy-type expenditure from 2008 to 2013. We are updating it and we will shortly publish the 2014 report. Cumulative spending at the end of 2013 was some €22 million. That is taking 2008 as the base year, with the period extending to the end of 2014. We expect that the 2014 report will increase the cumulative figure by approximately €1.9 million. Therefore, the total is €24 million across all policy areas since 2008, which amounts to €4 million per year. During the period we recouped almost €9 million from the banking sector and will continue to pursue recoupment actively where the costs are clearly attributable to work for the sector. The net cost for seven years since 2008 is €15 million. It is netting out at slightly over €2 million per year. We have a policy of recouping everything we can from the banking sector where the costs were incurred in solving some problems in that sector.