Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1134: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of the amount paid by his Department to mobile telephone companies for the past five years; the name of the companies used; the criteria used in deciding which mobile telephone company to use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18881/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Because of the remit of my Department, extensive use is made of mobile telephony and related technologies, for inspections and other out of office activities related to the delivery of services to our clients and in supporting a more mobile and efficient workforce.

Following an EU procurement exercise conducted by the Department of Finance, a mobile phone Framework Agreement was established to provide non-commercial public sector bodies with a streamlined procedure for the procurement of mobile voice and data services at competitive rates from a list of qualified vendors. The Framework Agreement is intended to maximise volume discounts and provide for reductions in administrative and transaction costs for providers and public sector purchasers.

My Department has run a number of competitions under the Framework for its mobile voice and data services. In each case the successful vendor was the most economically advantageous tender. Details of the mobile phone telephone companies used and the amount paid to each company over the last five years is shown in the following table: