Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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259. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide a schedule of all consultancy firms, accountancy firms, legal firms, project management firms and IT firms her Department has engaged to carry out work on its behalf in 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020; if she will summarise the work they were engaged to do and the full costs of the engagements; if disputes over costs ensued; if they were resolved with or without sanctions and-or financial penalties and-or withholding of funds; and if contracts are subject to legal challenge or mediation. [40220/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I am advised that my Department has not engaged the services of either legal or project management firms. Details of the consultancy, accountancy and IT firms engaged by my Department, the type of work they were engaged in, and the total cost of engagement for the period 2018 to date in 2020 are set out in the tables below.

I am advised that no dispute over costs arose in respect to any of the contracts listed.

Consultancy and Accountancy Firms

IT Firms

Note 1. PMCA Economic Consulting - In February 2020 the Chief State Solicitors Office engaged a consultant to prepare an economic report as part of the Department's response to additional questions which were forwarded by the Commission. It was agreed that the cost of the report would be shared between the then Department of Transport Tourism and Sport and the Department of Housing.

Note 2. Earthcheck PTY Limited - Consultancy services procured by Fáilte Ireland on behalf of the Sustainable Tourism Working Group. This group consisted of Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS). While the total cost for this consultancy was split between the group (with DTTAS contributing €26,174.81), Fáilte Ireland was the sole client for this contractor.

Note 3. Systems Support & Migration of Systems – The expenditure in relation to the majority of the Systems Support and all of the Systems migration spend relates to a project undertaken to consolidate all IT support within the Department’s IT service provision.

In addition to the above, my Department commissions other experts from time to time to provide technical reports or advice on specific issues. Such work is not classified as consultancy services and is not funded from my Department's Administrative Budget.