Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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708. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form a list of all professional fees, including but not limited to legal, consultancy, IT related, advisory, advertising and accountancy; the company name and the amount invoiced between 1 June 2012 and 31 May 2013. [34541/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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710. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide the annual saving to the Exchequer of a 20% reduction to all professional fees, including but not limited to legal, consultancy, IT related, advisory, advertising and accountancy; the company name and the amount invoiced between 1 June 2012 and 31 May 2013. [34573/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 708 and 710 together.

The table below outlines details of fees paid for professional services as defined by the deduction of witholding tax by my Department between 1st June 2012 and 31st May 2013.

My Department administers a very diverse, complex and extremely technical brief. It has a total complement of around 250 full time equivalent staff of whom a limited number are technical personnel. This reality necessarily requires my Department to procure specialist external professional advice notably in legal, financial and technical areas to enable it to discharge its very wide brief. In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and that these professional services contribute to project delivery and

informed, robust and evidence based policy making. Furthermore, in relation to the competitive tendering for contracts my Department adheres to the relevant EU Regulations and Department of Finance Guidelines on the procurement of goods and services. I would also point out that many of the consultancies relate to individual time limited projects where it is more sensible from a value for money perspective to engage consultants rather than permanent staff. In a number of cases, e.g. Tellus Border Project, the cost is either fully or partially funded by the EU.

Applying a unilateral 20% reduction in professional fees would reduce the amount paid by approximately €1m. This figure is however a mathematical exercise, as the competitive tendering process ensures a market rate is obtained for the professional services being delivered.

Professional fees paid by the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resource

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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709. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown of all third level courses, training programmes and courses and accompanying cost for the 2012/2013 academic year 1 September 2012 to 30 June 2013 provided for employees of his Department. [34557/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I assume that the Deputy is seeking information on courses of third level study, funded by my Department and pursued by staff outside of working hours. Each year my Department invites staff to make an application for funding within the terms of the Refund of Fees Programme (Post-Entry Education) under Department of Finance Circular 23/07. Applications are prioritised with reference to the relevance of the course to the applicant's role and to the work of their Division and the Department.

In the interests of value for money, the level of funding my Department provides for new applications is determined following assessment of the number of applications approved for the academic year. Funding for staff in the second or subsequent year of a relevant third level course is also provided.

Funding is provided on the basis that a portion is made available at the start of the academic year with the balance payable on successful completion of the academic year including any prescribed examinations, verified by the relevant college or institution.

The table below sets out details on courses supported under this scheme for the academic year 2012/13:

Refund of Fees – Academic Year 2012-2013