Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A sum of €23 million was allocated in 2012 and €36 million has been allocated for 2013. That will be used to fund the management of the Presidency here in home Departments; the operation of a significantly enlarged Permanent Representation in Brussels, with more than 90 people; a programme of events taking place in Ireland; and a cultural programme that uses the Presidency to promote Ireland and Irish culture to an international audience, which showcases the role of the EU in Ireland and is very important not just for tourism or The Gathering but for future years. The funding is also being deployed to meet additional staff resources both here and in the Permanent Representation in Brussels, where 90 extra young people have been taken on. It is also used to provide conference facilities and catering, because, whether Deputy Boyd Barrett likes it or not, those involved have to eat something. Fifteen thousand delegates will visit Ireland. Does the Deputy think we can bring them here without giving them an Irish welcome?

If that is the Deputy's view, he is even further to the left than I thought. It is also being used to provide administrative support for the greatly enlarged EU affairs division in all Departments. We have set out to run an efficient and cost-effective Presidency. In all aspects of administrative planning we have tried to find the space to fulfil our responsibilities and meet reasonable expectations and to do so in a cost-effective fashion. The use of Dublin Castle and a small number of other State-owned and managed venues, mainly in Dublin, is a clear example of this. Hosting events in State-owned properties greatly reduces venue hire and set-up costs, as well as keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum, which I am sure the Deputy will appreciate. At the Permanent Representation in Brussels all additional staff are being accommodated in the existing office premises, which means we do not have to lease or rent new premises. While it has led to some congestion, it has assisted in a common purpose of having people work together in the interests of the country.

The volume of goods and services supplied to the Presidency has been critically reviewed and, where possible, procurements have been aggregated to get the most benefit from greater buying power. From January to June, approximately 180 meetings and associated events will take place in Dublin, involving 15,000 delegates and the international press. It is in our interests that these are well managed and run effectively and competently. Offsetting part of the cost will be revenue generated by visiting Ministers and delegates and the use of local services and service providers for Presidency purposes. In addition, Audi Ireland is suppling a fleet of vehicles for use during informal ministerial meetings which will take place. Eircom and UPC are providing telecommunications services at the meeting venues. There are a number of smaller sponsorship and support arrangements in place, including support by Certification Europe of the certification and award process in respect of Double ISO certification for Dublin Castle in event sustainability and environmental management systems; the provision of some electric cars by the ESB; Visit it Virtually through a 3D animated construction of Dublin Castle and Agtel's provision of kinetic typography for the Presidency website wwww.eu2013.ie.

Semi-State companies such as Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia, local authorities such as Dublin City Council and bodies such as the Irish Hotels Federation are working very closely with the Presidency to run it as effectively as possible and send a good message about the country that despite the economic challenges we face, Ireland is well able to measure up in running a global Presidency in the interests of what we are doing here. It is 40 years since Ireland joined the European Union and it is still a net beneficiary of the European taxpayer, despite the fact that income per capita is among the highest in Europe.

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