Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 387: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of expenditure on consultancy by his Department in 2006 and 2007; the numbers of consultants engaged by his Department in those years; the names of the consultancy companies awarded contracts; the steps which have been taken to reduce the expenditure on consultancy and the reliance on consultants by his Department in these years and for the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42588/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for two Votes — Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and Vote 29 (International Cooperation). The amount of expenditure on consultancy by my Department in 2006 and 2007 is as follows.

I have set out in the accompanying tables the names of the consultancy companies awarded contracts over that period, including the nature and value of the contract in each case.

I am very conscious of the need to achieve value for money on such expenditure. The Department commissions external advisory services only where specialised knowledge and/or skills are not available within the Department and, particularly in the case of Irish Aid (Ireland's official development assistance programme), where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. Given the overall scale of the Irish Aid Programme, I am satisfied that this level of monitoring, review and evaluation is both prudent and proportionate. I should add that, in accordance with the Government's decision, the budgetary provision for consultancies in my Department will be reduced by 50% in 2009.