Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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236. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether his Department has projects, contracts, or pilots currently being undertaken or in development that make use of agentic AI; if the use of these technologies is internal only or public facing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57626/25]

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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237. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of service contracts awarded to private consultancy firms, broken down by projects in IT, management, accounting and auditing, Department and cost, each year to date since 2000, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57659/25]

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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238. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht whether his Department has projects, contracts, or pilots currently being undertaken or in development that make use of agentic AI; if the use of these technologies is internal only or public facing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57631/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department follows the guidance issued by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The NCSC guidance recommends that new AI technology should only be adopted based on a clearly defined business need following an appropriate risk assessment.

My Department does not currently use agentic AI, and is also not currently considering use of agentic AI. My Department’s Press Office, however, has enhanced the accessibility of video content produced for social media by the use of AI enabled software. The software transcribes audio to text and adds closed captions to video. The Department also utilises AI enabled software, which operates within a confined desktop environment, to support translation work.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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239. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total number of service contracts awarded to private consultancy firms, broken down by projects in IT, management, accounting and auditing, Department and cost, each year to date since 2000, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57663/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The table below details the number of service contracts awarded to private consultancy firms, broken down by the categories requested, for each year from 2020 to date in 2025.

My Department publishes information on all consultancies on an annual basis, including the nature of the work undertaken and the costs. The information can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/organisation-information/financial-information/#consultancies.