Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

643. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the consultancy service providers engaged by his Department from 1 January 2018 to 1 January 2019; the costs associated with each (details supplied); the reason for each service engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43317/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Consultancy service providers are only engaged by my Department where specific expertise is required which is not available in the organisation at the relevant time. The consultancy expenditure by the Department in 2018, together with the purpose of each service engagement and the expenditure programme concerned, are set out in the following table.  It is the general practice in the Department that the cost of individual consultancy services is met from the dedicated budgets for the relevant  programme area.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

644. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of each value for money and policy review conducted by his Department from 1 January 2018 to 1 January 2019; the cost of each exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43334/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Government Departments regularly review expenditure programmes under the established system of value for money and policy reviews (VFMs). Departments also undertake the related focused policy assessments (FPAs) as part of this initiative.

In the period under question my Department was engaged in conducting one VFM review of Exchequer spending on the provision of homeless services and one FPA on housing adaptation grants. The VFM review is close to completion and the FPA was finalised in August of this year. As the reviews are undertaken by Department officials, no external costs arise.

Separately to this category of reviews, the Local Government Audit Service (LGAS) of my Department carries out VFM studies on local authority operations, with a view to identifying best practice and recommending ways of improving existing procedures, practices and systems and thereby promoting efficiency and cost effectiveness. As above, these reports are undertaken internally and no external costs arise. Reports issued in 2018 are listed below.

1. VFM Report No. 31 Coroner Service in Local Authorities, published in February 2018;

2. Progress Report No. 8 – Progress on the implementation of the recommendations contained in VFM Report No. 30 Corporate Estate Management and Maintenance in Local Authorities, published in December 2018;

3. An Overview Report of Commercial Rates in Local Authorities, published in December 2018;

4. An Overview Report of Pension Income and Costs in Local Authorities, published in December 2018;

In addition to the above formal reviews, my Department reviews its schemes and programmes on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are fit for purpose.