Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 345: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total expenditure in 2010 on ICT, including staff costs, support and maintenance services, hardware, software, and external resources, including consultancies, contractors and service providers, and all agencies under the aegis of his Department. [31514/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department ensures that all public procurement procedures as outlined by the Department of Finance are adhered to during the procurement process. As part of these processes every effort is being undertaken to ensure value for money and achieve cost reductions.

Notably, my Department earlier this year, as part of the Croke Park Agreement, has implemented an agreement with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to receive a service from that Department for the maintenance of IT helpdesk services and network infrastructure. This arrangement, which is the first shared service to apply to a full Government Department, will provide long-term savings on licensing and maintenance costs and is likely to be a model for future IT services for smaller Government Departments. A further shared services initiative has been entered into with the Department of Finance who host payroll facilities for my Department from September 2011.

The purchase of IT equipment for Agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for each Agency and I have no function in that regard. However, each Exchequer funded Agency makes annual returns to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on all ICT expenditure.