Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

305. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department and each body under its aegis discloses expenditure on external consultancy and adviser fees, by category (details supplied) in their annual report and or financial statements for each accounting year; if they provide direct web links to the most recent publications where these Section 1.5 disclosures are set out for his Department and for each aegis body; and if they provide the total consultancy and adviser fees by the Section 1.5 categories for each of the past five years for his Department and for each aegis body, respectively; and the internal controls that are in place to ensure that these category-level disclosures are made annually and that procurement of such services complies with applicable competitive tendering rules, in tabular form. [55376/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department is not required to provide a breakdown of expenditure on external consultancy and adviser fees in its annual report, however a full breakdown of the Department’s financial position is available in the appropriation account which is available online.

The Department ensures that there is an appropriate focus on good procurement practice in the award of all contracts and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines. Any non-compliant procurement (in relation to the goods/services procured by the Department) is disclosed in the Statement of Internal Financial Control published with the annual appropriation account.

The Department provides details of any non-competitive contracts in excess of €25,000 ex-VAT in the annual return in respect of Circular 40/2002 to the C&AG and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

All agencies under the aegis of my Department are expected to adhere to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies including section 1.5 “Consultancy Costs” of the Business and Financial Reporting requirements and on an annual basis make disclosures in their annual reports and financial statements, which are available on their websites and on gov.ie

In addition, and in accordance with internal controls in place in my Department, each agency is asked on an annual basis if they comply with each aspect of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State bodies.