Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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690. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide, in tabular form, by year, all external consultant reports commissioned by his Department since March 2011; the costs per report; the company involved; the title of the report; and publication date. [23698/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Department is responsible for two Votes – Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Vote 27 (International Cooperation). The Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and particularly where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. During the course of their engagements, these consultants/experts may prepare reports and other documentation for the Department.

In-depth analysis of issues by external experts has informed - and continues to inform - my Department’s policies, allowing for more targeted use of resources and greater accountability in the allocation of budgets.

These services are procured by open competitive tender in accordance with EU and national rules and comply with the overall value for money objective of the Department.Separately, a low number of consultancies are occasionally engaged directly by our Missions abroad from time to time. The following tables set out the details of external reports commissioned by the department under Vote 28 and Vote 27 since March 2011.

External Reports commissioned under Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade)

External Reports commissioned under Vote 27 (International Cooperation)