Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 237 of 4 December 2012, if she will provide a list of all new services across her Department that have been tested for external service delivery since March 2011. [55437/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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For many years the Department has contracted extensively with the private sector for the delivery of a variety of services where this provides better value for State money than the internal provision of services. These contracts range from the provision of scheme payments and employment services to information technology and medical certification. They also include cleaning, waste management, washroom services, transport services, pest control and security services.

The Department is currently examining the feasibility of contracting private providers of employment services on a payment by results basis in order to meet the increasing demand for such services. The Department is also considering the contracting of external providers of medical services in order to enhance its capacity to undertake assessments and reviews of entitlements to illness and disability related schemes.