Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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268. To ask the Minister for Health the total allocated budget per annum for hiring external consultancy firms for his Department's campaign for the relocation of the European Medicines Agency; the total costs to date; the name of the firms involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17441/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As a consequence of the decision of the UK to leave the EU, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) must be relocated to another Member State. The Agency plays a vital role in the protection of the health of 500 million EU citizens through the scientific evaluation and safety monitoring of human and veterinary medicines. The Government believes that Dublin would be a very suitable location for the EMA, particularly in the interests of ensuring continuity and sustainability in the conduct of its business. Such continuity is critical for European citizens and the industries which the EMA regulates. The EMA is also key to maintaining the competitiveness of the European pharmaceutical industry, which is worth approximately €260 billion annually. The relocation of the EMA also represents an opportunity to attract a prestigious EU Agency to Dublin which will directly employ almost 1,000 staff and attract many more high-quality jobs in associated sectors. Its location in Dublin would also stimulate employment in ancillary sectors, including the hospitality and transport industries.

The Government has decided a whole-of-Government approach will be taken to promoting the relocation of the EMA to Dublin. An interdepartmental/interagency working group led by my Department is working to prepare the strongest possible bid. In view of the complexity of this task, the inherently competitive nature of the process by which a decision on the future location for the EMA will be made and the likelihood that the European Council will consider this matter within the coming months, it was determined that external support was needed in respect of key elements of the bid preparation and communications process. In this context my Department recently invited tenders from a number of potential providers, seeking public relations/public affairs and communications support for the period to the end of June 2017. The core requirement is to ensure that the Dublin bid is prepared and presented in a professional and proactive manner which clearly sets out, to all stakeholders, why Dublin is an ideal location for the EMA.

The request-for-tender document indicated that the expected total costs submitted for the tender would be in the range €100,000 to €120,000. While a preferred bidder has been chosen, the tendering process is currently in the 14-day standstill period and no contract has yet been signed. In these circumstances it would not be appropriate to name the preferred bidder at this time.