Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

181. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the companies that received payments from his Department for consultation on natural resources; the purpose for which they received payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35692/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department administers a very diverse and complex brief. This reality necessarily requires my Department to procure specialist external professional advice and it is imperative to have recourse to a certain amount of external professional services in the area of natural resources.

In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and that these professional services contribute to 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

The majority of natural resources consultancies in 2012 related to the Corrib gas project. In looking at the expenditure incurred, I would like to remind the Deputy that costs relating to the oversight of compliance with the Corrib gas consent conditions are recouped from the developer. My Department’s 2012 Appropriation Account shows that, by end 2012, €255,000 was recouped as appropriation-in-aid.

Details of companies involved in providing consultancy services to my Department are set out in tabular form below. As requested by the Deputy’s office, the information relates to 2012.

Natural Resources Consultancies - 2012