Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of reports from external consultants commissioned by his Department in the years 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; the costs incurred by his Department to commission these reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42591/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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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 professionals to assist in discharging its functions. 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. In total there have been 25 external reports commissioned by my Department, eight in 2012, ten in 2013 and seven to date in 2014. The bulk of the studies are technical and specialist in nature and were necessary to address specific issues as they arose and enable the Department to discharge its policy and project responsibilities in the areas concerned. The total cost of these reports is €867,999.