Written answers
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Department of Social Protection
Departmental Expenditure
9:00 pm
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 298: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the amount paid out annually from public funds for outsourcing to private contractors and the use of consultants and agencies for all Departments of the civil and public service, and State agencies; a breakdown of these figures in tabular form on a Department/authority/agency basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38270/11]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The amounts paid from public funds for outsourcing to private contractors and the use of consultants for the Department of Social Protection and its agencies vary from year to year. The amounts for 2010 are set out in the tables below and are indicative of annual expenditure of that type that arises in relation to the Department's Vote, Vote 38 and the Social Insurance Fund.
Vote 38:
| Description | Amount (€) |
| General Maintenance - OPW | 2,319,213 |
| IT External Service Providers | 9,270,036 |
| Consultancy Services | 596,663 |
| Payments for Agency Services (An Post & Medical Referees) | 63,397,920 |
| eGovernment Related Projects | 1,875,901 |
| Branch Office Services | 16,770,584 |
| Total: | 94,230,317 |
Social Insurance Fund:
| Description | Amount (€) |
| Professional fees for Dental Benefit Scheme | 15,011,962 |
| Professional fees for Optical Benefit Scheme | 5,993,504 |
| Professional fees for Medical and Surgical Appliances Benefits Scheme | 2,088,931 |
| Payments for Agency Services (An Post) | 23,777,100 |
| Total: | 46,871,497 |
The general maintenance by OPW refers to the maintenance of the Department's buildings that is done through contracts that are outsourced to private contractors. General maintenance includes electrical, plumbing, window cleaning, refuse collection etc..
The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department but it does not have a board.
Social Welfare Tribunal
The Social Welfare Tribunal is an independent body whose function is to make decisions on applications for adjudications in relation to certain claims for Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance made in the context of industrial disputes. The Tribunal does not outsource work or engage consultants.
Pensions Board
Annual figures, per the audited accounts, in respect of the 2010 financial year are set out in the following Table:
| Outsourcing | Amount (€) |
| Cleaning and general maintenance | 43,981 |
| Building service charge - apportionment of common areas costs i.e. cleaning, waste disposal | 47,316 |
| ICT – network support | 19,360 |
| Website operating costs These costs incorporate all hosting charges, software licences and information updating and maintenance | 30,000 |
| Consultancy and Professional fees | 642,060 |
| Total: | 782,717 |
Citizens Information Board
| Payments in 2010 | Amount (€) |
| Building repairs & Maintenance (includes cleaning and security which are also outsourced) | 104,271 |
| Consultancy (incl. legal) | 42,787 |
| Internal Audit | 18,636 |
| Organisational Review | 41,143 |
| Total: | 206,837 |
Office of the Pensions Ombudsman
The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman has not contacted any consultants to which such payments have been made since the inception of the Office in 2003.
The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman has paid out €33,683 in 2010 to the Office of Public Works for maintenance on its building.
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