Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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34. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide details of all consultancy firms engaged by his Department during 2013; if he will further provide details of all the relevant fees paid to these firms during this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3211/14]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28: Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Vote 27: International Cooperation. Consultants are engaged only where specialised knowledge and skills are not available within the Department and, especially in the case of Ireland’s official overseas aid programme, known as Irish Aid , where independent appraisal, audit, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects is required. Decisions on the need to commission outside expertise are subject to the establishment of appropriate business cases and an approvals process overseen by senior management of the Department’s Development Cooperation Division. Expenditure on consultancy services is constantly monitored to ensure that it does not exceed the level required for the proper management of the aid programme.

Details of the consultants engaged by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade during 2013 are set out in the tables below.

Vote 28 Foreign Affairs

*Following the Ireland-UK Summit of March 2012, the British and Irish Governments commissioned a consultancy report, quantifying the value of the British Irish Economic relationship and identifying areas where further cooperation would be mutually beneficial.

Vote 27 International Cooperation