Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 383: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of contracts held by his Department and its agencies with telecommunication providers; if he will provide details of these contracts including the name of the telecommunication provider and associated financial agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37306/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has contracts in place for 1,801 individual voice and data links with Eircom. The total cost of these contracts was some €6m in 2009. Officials in the Department are currently preparing a tender for the provision of all such links and this is due to be published before the end of the year.

The Department also has a private fibre network connecting Dublin headquarter buildings and following a public tendering exercise last year, the contract for provision and maintenance of this network was awarded to Aurora Telecom. The cost of this contract will be over €150,000 in 2010.

The Department also has contracts in place, under the central mobile phone framework, with Vodafone and O2 for the provision of mobile phone service and these cost under €480,000 in 2009.

Details relating voice and data links for Agencies under the aegis of the Department are as follows.

Response to PO 37306/10

Social Welfare Tribunal

The Social Welfare Tribunal does not hold any contracts with telecommunication providers.

Citizens Information Board

The Citizens Information Board holds three contracts with telecommunications providers, details as follows:

1. Mobile Telecommunications

Provider: O2

Value: €21,500 per annum (Estimated Value)

Payable: On receipt of regular invoice, by electronic funds transfer (EFT)

Awarded: 27th August 2009

Start Date: 1st November 2009

Duration: 18 months

2. Fixed Voice

Provider: Vodafone

Value: Drawdown Agreement*

Payable: On receipt of regular invoice, by electronic funds transfer (EFT)

Awarded: 13th August 2010

Start Date: 31st August 2010

Duration: 24 months

3. Data Services

Provider: Vodafone

Value: Drawdown Agreement*

Payable: On receipt of regular invoice, by electronic funds transfer (EFT)

Awarded: 14th October 2010

Start Date: 1st November 2010

Duration: 24 months

*The estimated value of these contracts combined, based on actual expenditure to date, is anticipated to be in the region of €600,000 per annum.

Pensions Board

Pensions Ombudsman

The telecommunication providers to the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman are Eircom in respect of fixed line telecom communications and Vodafone mobile phone communications provided through the Department.

The financial agreements for telecoms are at the same rate as supplied to government departments with standard fixed line telecoms contract with Eircom and mobile service with Vodafone.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of contracts held by his Department and its agencies with energy providers; if he will to provide details of these contracts including the name of the energy provider and associated financial agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37321/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The energy requirements of Government Departments, Offices and Agencies were catered for by the former Government Supplies Agency (GSA). The National Procurement Service has subsumed responsibility for GSA contracts.

Details of the energy contracts are indicated as follows.

Supply of energy to central government sites continues through these contracts to date.

All energy contracts are awarded following a competitive tendering process.

The financial arrangements (procurement model) associated with these contracts are based on discounts from benchmark industry pricing standards.

Competitions for electricity and natural gas frameworks have just concluded and will supersede the existing arrangements.

The Citizens Information Board currently has a 10 month contract with Energia which commenced on 31 May 2010 for the supply of electricity, at an estimated cost of €60,000 per annum. It also has an ongoing arrangement with Bord Gais for the supply of gas at an estimated value of €8,500 per annum.

The Pensions Board has an ongoing contract with the ESB for the supply of electricity with monthly payments at the general purpose business tariff rate.