Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide detail in tabular form, the names of all external public relations and consultancy persons and organisations used by his Department for the years 2011 and 2010; the amount paid to each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37510/12]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will detail in tabular form, the amount paid on external public relations and communications consultants since February 2011; the reason for the payment; the name of each organisation used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37543/12]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will detail in tabular form, the amount paid to consultants since February 2011; the name of each organisation used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37559/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 161, 164 and 165 together.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation).I am very conscious of the need to achieve value for money on all consultant expenditure and commissioning of such work is in full compliance with national and EU procurement regulations.

My Department did not incur expenditure on external public relations and communications services during the period from 2010 – to date. From time to time, consultants or companies with a public relations and communications background are commissioned to provide other professional services such as project management, logistics and event management.

In the period in question, my Department has commissioned a small number of consultancies to provide specialist ICT and accounting support.

In addition, my Department, through Irish Aid (Ireland’s official development assistance programme), occasionally commissions outside expertise where the effective management, evaluation and review of the programme necessitates the use of such skills. Elements of the aid programme are highly technical such as the areas of HIV/AIDS, communicable diseases, nutrition, agriculture and others. It is essential if the aid programme is to remain at the cutting edge of development science that it utilises outside expertise from time to time for quality assurance and to provide access to the latest knowledge. Utilising external expertise on a temporary basis can also provide excellent value for money as the skills involved are only utilised on a needs rather than full-time basis.

Consultants are engaged only where specialised knowledge and skills are not available within the Department and where independent appraisal, audit, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects are required.Decisions on the need to commission outside expertise are subject to the establishment of appropriate business cases and an approvals process carried out by the Irish Aid Senior Management Group. National and international regulations are fully complied with in subsequent tendering processes.The level of expenditure on consultancy services is constantly monitored to ensure that it does not exceed the level required for the proper management, oversight, monitoring, evaluation and audit of the aid programme.

A table detailing expenditure on consultancy services under both Votes since February 2011 is provided here:

Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs)

Vote 27 (International Cooperation)