Written answers
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
Departmental Staff
Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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262. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of retired officials that were re-engaged by his Department on a consultancy basis in the past four years and to date in 2025; the reason for engaging them; the costs incurred in respect of their engagement; and if his Department requires consultants to declare conflicts of interest in advance of utilising their services. [31264/25]
Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy that my Department has engaged retired officials on 11 occasions on a consultancy basis in the past four years and to date in 2025. The reasons for engaging them and the cost incurred are included in the attached table.
All Department staff provide annual Conflict of Interest declarations. It is not Department policy to apply this obligation on contractors.
| Year | Number of retired officials | Reason for engagement | Cost € |
|---|---|---|---|
| International agri-food knowledge transfer project services – Pakistan – preparation of guidance and presentations for Punjab Food Authority | 1,176 | ||
| 2021 | 2 | International agri-food knowledge transfer project services - Kenya Livestock Identification & Traceability scoping mission and recommendations. | 4,500 |
| One Health Lead for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland - the Zambia Ireland Agrifood Programme Design Contracted after compliant procurement process (restricted tender). | 8,000 | ||
| International agri-food knowledge transfer project services – preparation and presentation to Dubai Municipality Food Safety Dept | 500 | ||
| 2022 | 3 | Expert Report for Criminal Prosecution Case | 5,600 |
| 2023 | 1 | One Health Lead for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland - the Zambia Ireland Agrifood Programme Design Contracted after compliant procurement process (restricted tender). | 26,855 |
| Additional One Health veterinary inputs for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland on the Zambia Ireland Food Systems Strengthening Programme. | 4,750 | ||
| Additional One Health veterinary inputs for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland on the Zambia Ireland Food Systems Strengthening Programme. | 4,750 | ||
| One Health Lead on two programmes for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland - the Zambia Ireland Food Systems Strengthening Programme and the Ireland Vietnam Agrifood Partnership. Contracted after compliant procurement process (open tender). | 62,593 | ||
| 2024 | 5 | Team Leader for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland, EU Framework for Residues Monitoring, Turkish Cypriot community, Cyprus. Contracted after compliant procurement process (open tender). | 47,967 |
| Served as external expert on Phase 2 evaluation of Animal Health and Welfare EIP project plans. Conflict of Interest form completed prior to participation. | No costs incurred to date | ||
| One Health Lead on two programmes for Sustainable Food Systems Ireland - the Zambia Ireland Food Systems Strengthening Programme and the Ireland Vietnam Agrifood Partnership. Contracted after compliant procurement process (open tender). | 26,138 | ||
| Representative for Ireland to the World Organisation for Animal Health Governance Review Committee. | No costs incurred to date | ||
| 2025 | 3 | Facilitation of an internal workshop and completion of a follow up report relating to development of a new Plant Health & Biosecurity Strategy 2026-2030. Facilitation of Contingency Plan simulation exercise | 2,320 840 |
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