Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 108: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps that have been taken to ensure a cost efficient EU Presidency and to avoid cost overruns and difficulties with procurement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20289/12]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Preparations for Ireland's EU Presidency are under way in all Departments. Significant progress has been made in setting Presidency priorities for the first six months of 2013. The Presidency is an important opportunity for Ireland to rebuild its positive image as a credible, effective and trustworthy international player. At a practical level, the Government has taken a number of decisions with a view to putting in place an efficient and cost-effective Presidency. The need for financial discipline means that expenditure for the Irish Presidency will be tightly controlled. As an important cost containment measure, the Government has decided that Dublin Castle and other State-owned properties in the Dublin area will be the default venues for all Presidency-related events in Ireland. The Office of Public Works has been fully engaged with the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Taoiseach in identifying and pre-planning the facilities and requirements for events during the Presidency.

Work is proceeding on the expansion of facilities at the permanent representation in Brussels to accommodate the extra staff from all Departments that will be working there for the Presidency. Work is also under way on a centralised procurement scheme for all goods and services that will be required for the running of the Presidency. I expect that by taking a more collective approach, we will be able to maximise the potential economies of scale and reduce some of the administrative overheads incurred through individual tendering for similar goods and services. A prior information notice for the possible procurement of a number of requirements for the EU Presidency was published by my Department on 9 March 2012 on the eTenders website. The services and supplies included on the notice include accommodation; catering, hospitality and event management; chauffeur driving and bus transport services; interpretation and translation services; and an accreditation and badging service for delegates and media. The publication of a prior information notice does not necessarily mean there is a commitment to procuring these items. However, it underlines the transparent approach being taken to procurement, gives suppliers more time to prepare for possible tenders and will result in more cost-effective outcomes.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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In 2004, the current Tánaiste was critical of the expenditure that was incurred when many meetings were held across the country. The Government of the time was trying to showcase the country to its best advantage. There are suggestions that the number of ministerial meetings in this country will be reduced. Is the Minister of State concerned that such a move would limit our opportunity to showcase the best of what Ireland has to offer at a time when that might be needed more than it was in the past? I fully appreciate the need for strict control of budgets in this regard, as set out by the Minister of State. I commend the Government in that respect. Does the Minister of State have a ballpark figure for what the whole initiative will cost? I have seen a figure of €60 million, excluding security. Can she put a more precise figure on it at this stage?

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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That is the ballpark figure. The detail of that will be expanded on as we get closer to the Presidency and the procurement process is completed. The ballpark figure is essentially the same as the cost of the Hungarian Presidency and the current Danish Presidency. The Polish Presidency had a bigger budget that will not be available to us, quite frankly. This is really about common sense. We have to ensure we do not over-extend ourselves as we try to maximise the potential of the Presidency. I am very excited about the Presidency because it will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase Ireland in Europe and Europe in Ireland, both of which are extremely important. I do not agree that having high-level informal meetings in places like Ashford Castle and Dromoland Castle is the way to showcase Europe in Ireland. There is very little benefit from holding such meetings in venues around the country. Perhaps they allow particular Ministers to boast that they have brought ministerial meetings to their own constituencies. The value of the contributions such meetings make to local economies is limited.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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They are welcome on the north side.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputies know as well as I do that when Ministers go to these events, they want to do their business and get out of there as quickly as they can. Time is precious. A total of 160 meetings will take place during the Irish Presidency. Some of them will be held outside Dublin. The vast majority of them, including all of the informal ministerial meetings, will take place in Dublin. I remind the House that other events will take place. I am chairing the interdepartmental committee that is working on the plans for the policy side of the programme. Along with the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, I am co-chairing a preparatory group that involves all the key stakeholders for the cultural programme for the Presidency. Although it has a very limited budget, the cultural programme will be very exciting. There will be opportunities for towns and villages around the country to be twinned with towns and villages in other countries. The involvement of citizens at grassroots level is much more valuable than spending vast sums of money on bringing interpretation booths around the country to facilitate Ministers.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I would like to ask about the cost efficiency of Ireland's Presidency of the EU. Can the Minister of State guarantee that many of those who provide goods and services during the Presidency will be based in Ireland? That would ensure the Presidency has an impact on the local economy. The Minister of State mentioned a figure of €60 million. There is potential for the catering and wholesale trades to benefit from the Presidency. We need to support local and indigenous Irish businesses, particularly in the restaurant and hotel services industry, by generating business for them. That would give them a leg up in the current economic crisis.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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It goes without saying that we will use the Presidency to showcase Irish goods and services. The Government intends to use the tendering process to ensure, as far as possible while complying with our legal obligations, that Irish companies are given every opportunity to showcase their goods and to benefit. The Presidency will have enormous potential for the restaurant industry and the hospitality sector. I mentioned some aspects of the cultural programme. We are working closely with Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia. I am chairing a group of semi-State companies that is examining opportunities and ways of leveraging potential for Ireland from the semi-State side. Of course, the Presidency will tie in very well with all the events that will take place throughout 2013 as part of the Gathering. We intend to exploit all of the limitless opportunities that will present themselves next year.