Written answers
Tuesday, 14 October 2025
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Departmental Reports
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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163. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a list of all studies, research and reports commissioned by his Department that were outsourced, in each of the past five years, in tabular form; the names of the companies to which each study, research and report was outsourced; the total cost for each; the number of reports finalised and presented to him that have yet to be released by his Department; the dates on which any such reports yet to be released were first provided to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55162/25]
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available internally 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 Department’s policies, allowing 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 objectives.
I refer the Deputy to parliamentary question 30 of September 20 2023, where reports received by the Department from June 2020 to September 2023 were outlined.
www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2023-09-20/30/?highlight%5B0%5D=40371
The following reports were finalised and received by my Department from September 2023 to present:
| Year | Name of Company | Title of Study/ Research/ Report | Finalised and presented to the Department that have yet to be released | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Consultants | Strategic Assessment Report – London and Washington (2/3) | N/A - for internal use | €47,560 |
| 2023 | Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Consultants | Supplementary Services – London and Washington (3/3) | N/A - for internal use | €45,741 |
| 2023 | Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Consultants | Business Case Advisory Services- New York Consulate General (1/1) | N/A - for internal use | €6,027 |
| 2023 | Red C Research & Marketing LTD | Passport Design Public Consultation | N/A – findings released to public | €41,711 |
| 2023 | Irish Centre for Diversity | Investors in Diversity Bronze re-assessment | N/A - for internal use | €2,454 |
| 2023 | Adrienne Boyle | Global Citizenship Education annual grant partner review | N/A – for internal use | €5,856 |
| 2023 | ECDPM | Visibility of Ireland’s Support to EU Development Cooperating-mapping of selected EU member state practices | N/A – for internal use | Part of a service delivery component of a larger contract with ECDPM |
| 2023 | INKA consultancy fees - Tranche 1 and 2 of 3 | A guide to the Rio Marker Method & green development finance tracking | N/A – for internal use | €41,820 |
| 2023 | Rachael Twinem | Sustainable Development Results Technical Support Consultancy | N/A – for internal use | €12,800 |
| 2023 | Brian Casey | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A – for internal use | €4,500 |
| 2023 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A – for internal use | €6,027 |
| 2023 | Hornbill Consultants Ltd. | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A – for internal use | €1,000 |
| 2023 | Southern Cross Consulting | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A – for internal use | €6,027 |
| 2023 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | Technical Support for Monitoring Visit to Kenya (re Self Help Africa) | N/A – for internal use | €17,525 |
| 2023 | Inscap Development Centre Limited | Review of the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya’s Trade and Private Sector Engagement | N/A – for internal use | €22,594 |
| 2023 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | Technical Support for Monitoring Visit to the Gambia (re Self Help Africa) | N/A – for internal use | €17,074 |
| 2023 | Anne Nolan, Consultant | Options paper, support for health sector, Mozambique | N/A – for internal use | €15,748 |
| 2023 | Emergency Nutrition Network | Horn of Africa Child Wasting initiative- scoping report | N/A - published July 2023 | €80,036 |
| 2023 | Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition (GLOPAN) | Report “Building Resilience and Enhancing Nutrition in Africa’s Food Systems”. | N/A - published January 2024 | N/A produced as part of an overall payment to GLOPAN |
| 2023 | Institute for Security Studies (ISS) | “Rethinking responses to unconstitutional changes of government in West Africa” | NA – for internal use | €186,587 |
| 2024 | Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Consultants | Consultancy – Embassy Abuja - Business Case Advisory Services (1/1) | N/A - for internal use | €6,027 |
| 2024 | Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Consultants | Consultancy – Final Business Case Embassy Washington Residence & Chancery Project | N/A - for internal use | €23,780 |
| 2024 | Crowe Advisory Ireland Ltd | Governance Review of Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation | N/A – for internal use | €22,878 |
| 2024 | Institute for Development Strategy, Munich | The Strategic Capture of Progress and Learning in Irish Foreign Policy Outcomes – International Benchmarking Study | N/A – for internal use | €22,185 |
| 2024 | Mazars | Financial Review of The Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation | N/A – for internal use | €13,776 |
| 2024 | Bay Area Council Economic Institute | Growth and Transformation: Economic Ties Between the San Francisco Bay Area and Ireland | N/A – for internal use | €38,750 |
| 2024 | Irish Centre for Diversity | Investors in Diversity Silver re-assessment | N/A - for internal use | €6,144 |
| 2024 | University of Liverpool (Institute of Irish Studies) | Manchester Community Needs Assessment | N/A - for internal use | €15,960 |
| 2024 | ECDPM | Strengthening Ireland’s Influence and Impact on EU Development Co-operation | N/A - for internal use | Part of a service delivery component of a larger contract with ECDPM. |
| 2024 | INKA consultancy fees - Tranche 3 of 3 | A guide to the Rio Marker Method & green development finance tracking | N/A - for internal use | €22,140 |
| 2024 | Rachael Twinem | Finalisation of guidance note for Vote 27 Strategy Implementation Plans | N/A - for internal use | €4,800 |
| 2024 | Public Good Ltd. | Review of the Africa Strategy and Innovation Fund | N/A - for internal use | €10,125 |
| 2024 | KITE Limited | Development of a Structured Ireland Fellows Alumni Programme | N/A - for internal use | €33,948 |
| 2024 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | Technical Support for Monitoring Visit to Sierra Leone (re GOAL) | N/A - for internal use | €21,583 |
| 2024 | Ed Hughes | Technical Support for Monitoring Visit to Cameroon (re PLAN Ireland) | N/A - for internal use | €17,488 |
| 2024 | IOD PARC | Specialist Support for Monitoring Evaluation and Learning on Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for A Better World (ICSP) | N/A - for internal use | €34,400 |
| 2024 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd | Financial Risk Management Consultancy Services for Civil Society Funding Schemes | N/A - for internal use | €26,882 |
| 2024 | Southern Cross Consulting | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A - for internal use | €17,072 |
| 2024 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A - for internal use | €18,942 |
| 2024 | Hornbill Consultants Ltd. | Technical Support to the Civil Society Fund | N/A - for internal use | €6,500 |
| 2024 | Gumfoot Consultants Ltd. | Technical Support for Monitoring Visit to Tanzania (re World Vision Ireland) | N/A - for internal use | €13,145 |
| 2024 | Rachel Twinem | Monitoring visit to Missionary Projects in Kenya | N/A - for internal use | €27,085 |
| 2024 | Edward Hughes | ICSP programme monitoring in Cameroon | N/A - for internal use | €17,489 |
| 2024 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | ICSP programme monitoring in Tanzania | N/A - for internal use | €14,646 |
| 2024 | Gumfoot Consultancy LTD | Impact review of Irish Aid supported research under COALESCE and SDG Challenges | N/A - for internal use | €28,628 |
| 2024 | ODI | Strategic Partnership producing a series of thematic or technical reports for Irish Aid | N/A - for internal use | N/A produced as part of on-going strategic partnership with ODI |
| 2024 | Institute of Development Studies, UK | Strategic partnership producing a series of thematic or technical reports on Social Protection | N/A - for internal use | N/A produced as part of on-going strategic partnership with IDS |
| 2024 | Emergency Nutrition Network | Sustainable Food Systems Delivering Nutrition for All: A Brief for Irish Aid | N/A - published February 2024 | N/A Included as part of annual programme of work |
| 2024 | Emma Simpson Consulting | Irish Global Health Network Technical Review | N/A - for internal use | €11,050 |
| 2024 | Emma Simpson Consulting | Royal College of Surgeons Technical Appraisal | N/A - for internal use | €1,900 |
| 2024 | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | -The impacts of global crises on poverty and food security in 2023 and outlook for 2024 (January 2024) -Impacts of shipping disruptions in the Red Sea on global good security (January 2024) -Global fertilizer markets adjusted to crises, though smallholder profitability was likely adversely affected (April 2024) -Sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action: An examination of the Emirati Declaration (May 2024) -Banking systems, capital markets, and financing the transformation of food systems: The role of macroeconomics, regulations, and incentives (August 2024) | N/A - for internal use | N/A produced as part of an overall payment to IFPRI |
| 2024 | Genesis Analytics | The Financial Review and Results Assessment of the Global Partnership for Education | N/A - Technical level reporting | The report was commissioned in partnership by Denmark, Norway and Ireland. Of the total Cost €324,353, Ireland’s contribution was €97,500. |
| 2024/2025 | Adam Sweetman Consulting | Evaluation Review of Africa Agri Food Development Programme and Recommendations Report | N/A - for internal use | €24,000 |
| 2025 | Red C Research & Marketing LTD | Passport Online Qualitative Research Project | N/A – for internal use | €29,766 |
| 2025 | Conference Board of Canada | Beyond Barriers: Deepening Canada-Ireland Trade and Investment | N/A - published September 2025 | €95,600 Total funding from DFAT: €53,000 |
| 2025 | Stranger’s Guide | Events Strategy for Community Engagement in Texas | N/A - for internal use | €2,902 |
| 2025 | The Diaspora Institute | Support to Develop the Government’s New Diaspora Strategy | N/A – this project is still in progress. | N/A – total cost will be assessed on completion of the project, in line with the terms of the contract. |
| 2025 | Barbara Wilson | Global Citizenship Education Annual Grant Partner Review | N/A – for internal use | €5,513 |
| 2025 | Adrienne Boyle | Global Citizenship Education Annual Grant Partner Review | N/A – for internal use | €5,588 |
| 2025 | Vanessa Sheridan | Global Citizenship Education Annual Grant Partner Review | N/A – for internal use | €5,510 |
| 2025 | Deirdre Farrell | Global Citizenship Education Annual Grant Partner Review | N/A – for internal use | €6,000 |
| 2025 | KITE | Midterm Review of the Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Strategy 2021-2025 | N/A – for internal use | €3,000 |
| 2025 | DDA Ltd | Mid-Term Review of Ireland’s 2nd Strategy for Partnership with SIDS | N/A – for internal use | €9,800 |
| 2025 | Aisling Swaine | Academic consultant to develop material on prevention and accountability of conflict related sexual violence. | N/A - for internal use | €3,690 |
| 2025 | Mirsad Jacevic | Consultancy in the development of Ireland’s fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security | N/A - for internal use | €21,000 |
| 2025 | Accompany Ltd | Consultancy in the development of the monitoring and learning annex associated with Ireland’s fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security | Work in Progress | €12,500 |
| 2025 | Gumfoot Consultancy | ICSP programme monitoring in Bangladesh | N/A – for internal use | €19,394 |
| 2025 | IOD PARC | ICSP programme monitoring in Nepal | N/A – for internal use | €15,880 |
| 2025 | Gumfoot Consultancy Ltd. | ICSP programme monitoring in Sierra Leone | N/A – for internal use | €20,544 |
| 2025 | IOD PARC | ICSP programme monitoring in Colombia | N/A – for internal use | €22,270 |
| 2025 | IOD PARC | Specialist Support for Monitoring Evaluation and Learning on Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for A Better World (ICSP) | N/A - for internal use | €28,840 |
| 2025 | ODI | Strategic Partnership producing a series of thematic or technical reports for Irish Aid | N/A - for internal use | N/A produced as part of on-going strategic partnership with ODI |
| 2025 | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | Short report on the value of investing in nutrition | N/A - for internal use | N/A produced as part of an overall payment to IFPRI |
| 2025 | Institute of Development Studies, UK | Strategic partnership producing a series of thematic or technical reports on Social Protection | N/A - for internal use | N/A produced as part of on-going strategic partnership with IDS |
| 2025 | Emma Simpson Consulting | Global Health Actors Discussion Paper | N/A - for internal use | €2,600 |
| 2025 | Emma Simpson Consulting | Non-Communicable Disease and Mental Health Policy Paper | N/A - for internal use | €4,500 |
| 2025 | Emma Simpson Consulting | Refresh of the SRHR initiative | N/A - for internal use | €7,800 |
| 2025 | Emma Simpson Consulting | Humanitarian Unit Data Exercise | N/A - for internal use | €6,500 |
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