Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 2148 of 4 November 2025 to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in which he confirmed that, although not required by statute, his Department voluntarily publishes its annual consultancy spending online in the interest of transparency and accessibility, if his Department operates a similar practice; if not, whether consideration will be given to adopting this approach as a transparency measure consistent with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and wider open-government principles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68457/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A detailed analysis of my Department’s total expenditure is included in the publication of the Vote 7 annual Appropriation Account. My Department prepares its annual Appropriation Account in accordance with the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act, 1866 (as amended by the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act, 1993) and with accounting rules and procedures laid down by the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

Each quarter my Department also publishes purchase orders for goods and services over €20,000. A description of services, including consultancy is included in the quarterly reports.

In addition, my Department has voluntarily published annual consultancy costs up to 2022 and will publish the 2023 and 2024 consultancy costs in the coming weeks. The 2025 consultancy costs will also be published in the first quarter of 2026.

The links to my Department’s annual consultancy costs and quarterly purchase orders over €20,000 are included below for ease of reference.

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-finance/collections/consultancy-costs/.

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-finance/collections/purchase-orders/#2025.