Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Finance the guidelines in place for the commissioning of outside expertise in the consultancy and public relations fields; and if ministerial approval is required for approval of expenditure on such commissions. [30154/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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In common with all public procurements, the commissioning of consultancy and public relations expertise is subject to national and EU procurement requirements. The guidelines in place specifically for the commissioning of consultancy and public relations expertise include the guidelines for the engagement of consultants published by my Department in March 1999 which cover all types of consultancy and since early this year the additional guidelines agreed by Government specifically for PR and communications consultancies which are now incorporated into the Cabinet handbook.

More recently, a number of new measures were announced which will contribute to improving the management and value for money aspects of consultancy projects. Approval of expenditure on consultancy projects is handled at the appropriate level within my Department depending on the scale and nature of the individual projects and I am kept informed as appropriate.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 319: To ask the Minister for Finance the percentage of reports, consultancies and cases from external commissions where the issue of poor value for money was highlighted in his Department from 1998 to date in 2005. [30169/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I take it the intended scope of the question is the same as the Deputy's question of 28 June of this year which related to reports, consultancies or other advisory or public relations commissions awarded by my Department. The reply to that question, together with the reply to a similar question on 17 February 2004, lists all such commissions awarded by my Department from 1 January 1998 to 28 June 2005. There have been no further awards since 28 June.

My Department issues comprehensive guidelines concerning the engagement of consultants. The most recent were issued in 1999 and are entitled, Engaging Consultants: Guidelines for the Civil Service. The guidelines cover a range of topics relevant to the decision to commission external support or assistance. They stress that value-for-money considerations must be paramount when deciding whether to engage consultants, that projects should be strictly necessary and that consultants should only be engaged where specialised knowledge is not available internally, or in the wider Civil Service, or where independent advice is deemed essential, and that as far as possible skills are transferred to the civil servants involved. My Department complies with these guidelines and I am assured that my Department achieved value for money in its commissions from 1998 to date, the period covered by the Deputy's question.