Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The reduction in consultancy fees was to take effect from last Sunday, 1 March. Where projects have been running for some time, will the reduction take effect in respect of those projects from last Sunday? For example, in early 2008 the Economist Intelligence Unit — a brilliant name — undertook on behalf of Government to carry out an independent benchmarking review to assess the comparative efficiency and effectiveness of key Irish economic regulators. That was the remit. The cost was supposed to be €306,000 and the report was to be published last September. It was then pushed out to November and then to mid-February. It is now almost halfway through March and it still has not been published. When will this report be published, and will the reduction in consultancy fees in this case take effect from last Sunday? In other words, will the work done since last Sunday, whenever the report is published, be subject to a reduction of 8% in consultation fees?

See this speech in context