Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Defence if he will provide details in tabular form for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and to date in 2012 the total amount of expenditure on consultancy by his Department, any body under his aegis or State agency for which he has responsibility; the names of the consultancy companies awarded contracts; the nature of the work concerned; the fees paid to each consultant; if the matter was advertised for competitive tender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45294/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the total amount of expenditure on consultancy by my Department and its agencies, including the Defence Forces, for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and to date in 2012 is set out in the table below. My Department is always mindful of the costs involved in engaging consultants. External consultants are engaged only when there is a clear need for specialised expertise and following a rigorous examination of skills and resources available in-house. The objective of using outside consultants is to ensure that my Department achieves value for money by implementing recommendations for improvements in order to maximise efficiency and effectiveness.

My Department adheres to the standards set out in the Public Procurement rules & guidelines in awarding contracts.