Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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592. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department, or State bodies or agencies under the aegis of his Department, use solicitors' firms (details supplied); the amount paid to these solicitors each year from 2011 to 2014, inclusive, by his Department, or State bodies or agencies under the aegis of his Department; the date until which his Department, or State bodies or agencies under the aegis of his Department, are contracted to use these solicitors' firms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9190/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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My Department administers a very diverse and complex brief. Its remit includes oversight of very complex policy areas and direct procurement of major services where protection of the State’s interest must be paramount. This situation necessarily requires my Department to procure specialist external professional advice in legal areas to enable it to discharge its responsibility to deliver quality services and protect the interests of the State and the taxpayer. My Department sought legal advice from Arthur Cox Solicitors which is one of the Solicitors firms referred to in the Question. The total amount paid to this firm by my Department from 2011 to 2014 amounted to €163,717.04 with all of this expenditure arising in 2011.

With regard to the bodies under the aegis of my Department, this is an operational matter for each body. I will, therefore, request the relevant bodies to reply directly to the Deputy with the information requested in respect of their organisation.