Written answers
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Consultancy Contracts Data
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the expenditure on external consultant reports commissioned by his Department since May 2016; the names of the reports in tabular form; the publication or expected publication date of each report; the cost of each report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53969/17]
Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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59. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the external consultant reports commissioned by his Department since March 2011; the costs per report; the company involved; the title of the report; and the publication date in tabular form. [54261/17]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 59 together.
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 in particular where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. During the course of their engagement, these consultants and experts may prepare reports and other documentation for the Department.
In-depth analysis of issues by external experts has informed, and continues to inform, the the Department’s policies. It allows for a more targeted use of resources and greater accountability in the allocation of budgets.
These services are procured by open competitive tendering processes 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 and in some instances they prepare technical reports relating to the overseas development programme.
I refer the Deputies to written parliamentary question Ref No: 17434/17 responded to on Thursday, 6 April, 2017 concerning external reports commissioned by my Department from March 2011 to April 2017 detailing the name, costs, date of commission, date of publication, where appropriate, and name of the external consultant which is available on the Oireachtas website.Details of reports commissioned since April 2017 to date are included in the following table:
| Commission | Experts/Consultants | Report/Subject | Cost(€) | Date of publication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ASM | Audit of grants awarded under Emigrant Support Programme | 47,375 | Not Applicable – see footnote* |
| 2017 | Tierney & Associates, Risk & Governance Consultants | Systems review of Emigrant Support Programme | 15,375 | * |
| 2017 | Indecon Consultants | Economic Report on Addressing the Challenges Faced by Returning Irish Emigrants | 73,627.80 | Not yet published |
| 2017 | Ernst & Young (EY) | External Quality Assessment of Internal Audit | 15,000 | * |
| 2017 | Amárach Research | Brexit Research: Understanding the likely demand for Irish passports from citizens in U.K | 21,000 | * |
| 2017 | M Horizon (UK) Ltd | Continental Shelf NE Atlantic | 3,163 | * |
| 2017 | Mary Brady | Overview of Humanitarian Mine Action | 4,500 | * |
| 2017 | Noel Casserly | UNFCCC Reporting and Climate Financing Mapping 2016 – 2017 | 25,537 | * |
| 2017 | Rachael Twinem | Internal review of the management structure and roles in the DICE (Development and Intercultural Education) project | Final cost not yet available | * |
| 2017 | Mercer International | Study of Compensation Levels - Locally engaged staff in diplomatic missions (Irish Aid) | 19,188 | * |
*Certain reports commissioned by the Department are for internal management usage and not for publication. However, many Irish Aid related reports are published on www.irishaid.ie
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