Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I wish to ask the Taoiseach about a matter of policy, namely, the business of awarding consultancy payments in the first instance. In recent years I find the public service has been sidelined to a great extent by the Government conducting so many consultancy reports. Is it a matter of course that the public service in any Department is asked whether it has the capacity to do a report on a particular issue before a decision is made by a Minister or by Government to request an outside consultancy report into some aspect of Government? If one considers the range of reports published, at a very expensive cost, in all Departments over the past ten years, one will note that many could have been produced and agreed by the public service itself. In that regard, the quality of the public service has been undermined by the prevalent practice of running for consultancy reports at every moment.

If a report is required in the Department of the Taoiseach, is it a matter of policy that the Taoiseach asks the Secretary General and the staff whether they can produce it themselves or whether it is necessary to spend more public money on further consultancy reports? It is a question of policy in terms of the quality of the personnel working for the Taoiseach and their capacity to produce reports as distinct from running to outside agencies for consultancy reports at public cost at every turn of the road.

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