Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I am Minister of State with responsibility for the Central Statistics Office, CSO. The 2011 census, which is being conducted on 10 April, is of significant national importance. The census results will give us the information to understand what Ireland needs for the future and will give a comprehensive picture of the social and living conditions of our people in 2011. Only a census can provide such complete detail. The results are essential tools for effective policy, planning and decision making purposes.

The census is a fundamental part of our national heritage and collective knowledge. Ireland has been conducting censuses of population since 1821. This enables us to track developments over a long period with considerable accuracy. The greatest strength of the census is the provision of detailed population figures at local level. They will help to identify likely demand for schools and health care facilities, areas of relatively high unemployment, the best location for new shops and so on. The more accurate the results, therefore, the better we can plan for the future and provide our citizens with the goods and services they need. The census is being, and always has been, conducted by the CSO, an independent statistical agency. It has always acted as an impartial voice for the country and plays a crucial role in public debate through the provision of a wide range of economic, social and environmental statistics.

As the Deputy has highlighted, CACI (UK) Limited has been awarded a contract related to the administration of the 2011 census. This includes the design and printing of the 2011 census forms, and the provision and on-site support of the hardware and software required for the scanning, capture and coding of the completed census forms. This contract was awarded following an open competitive procurement process run under EU tendering law which applies to all public bodies. CACI (UK) Limited was awarded a similar type contract for the 2002 and 2006 censuses, as well as winning the contract for census 2011. Indeed, the same company was also contracted for similar but more wide-ranging services for the census in Scotland in 2011. The company provided the best value for money for the Irish taxpayer and EU rules do not allow bidders to be excluded because they are not Irish companies.

The tendering process followed strict EU procurement rules. CSO commenced tendering for the supply of the census 2011 processing system in April 2009 and the tender was published on the e-tenders website and in the EU journal. Two tenders were received, including the one from CACI (UK) Limited. Both tenders went through three stages of evaluation. The evaluation team consisted of six senior CSO staff with an independent reviewer overseeing the process. The scoring model used to award the contract was lodged with the Department of Finance in advance of opening the tenders.

CACI (UK) Limited was awarded the contract on 30 June 2010 based on scores provided by the evaluation team. CACI (UK) Limited, the company working on the Irish census, has never provided services to the defence or intelligence sectors. Its business is solely in the supply of software solutions to public and private companies.

Some concerns have been raised about allegations made about the parent company of CACI (UK) Limited regarding human rights abuses in Iraq. These allegations have not been substantiated and investigations by CACI International and the US Government could not confirm them.

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