Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 91: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 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; the breakdown of these figures in tabular form on a Department/authority/agency basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38265/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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My Department is responsible for two Votes: Vote 28, Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vote 29, International Cooperation. In the absence of a precise definition of "private contractors and the use of consultants and agencies", I include tables setting out the Department's expenditure by each Vote under the administrative budget subheads A2 to A7 in 2010, showing account code categories which account for the majority of expenditure on outsourcing. It should be noted that the figures are aggregate and cover expenditure by both the Department's Headquarters and its Missions abroad. It is not possible in the time available to provide a more detailed breakdown of the expenditure. The Department is very conscious of the need the achieve value for money and is in full compliance with national and EU procurement regulations concerning tendering requirements. Further information on the Department's procurement requirements is posted on the Government Procurement Portal (www.e-tenders.gov.ie) and there is also information on the Department's main website (www.dfa.ie ) including information on overseas public procurement opportunities.

There are no State Agencies under the aegis of my Department.