Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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315. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide in tabular form the total amount spent since February 2011 on external reports commissioned by his Department including payments from ministerial allowances, broken down by report; if he will provide the details of any consultants employed; the names of each report and their status as published or ongoing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2364/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Since February 2011 sixteen reports have been commissioned by my Department and offices, five of which were standard ICT security audits or reviews. The total cost of the sixteen reports was €442,797. For your information the equivalent figures for the previous three year period in the Department and its offices was 39 reports at a cost to the taxpayer of €1,573,185. While this represents a 59% reduction in reports and a 72% reduction in costs over the previous three year period it will remain an item under constant review.

The names of external reports commissioned by my Department and Offices of my Department, details of consultants employed, and the expenditure on each from February 2011 to end December 2013 are as follows:-

January – December 2013

January – December 2012

February – December 2011