asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of applications submitted by the Irish authorities to the EC for aid for studies on new information technologies and their use under the budgetary heading (7718) and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Technology Impact Studies.
18.
Limerick East): The budgetary heading to which the Deputy refers is an internal consultancy subhead within the European Commission's budget. Individual consultants are occasionally invited by the Commission to carry out background studies funded from this subhead on the impact of new technologies. Two Irish consultants have been commissioned to carry out such studies by the EC Commission in the recent past. It is not the practice of the Commission to convey any information about the character and cost of these studies as they are prepared for internal use in the Commission and because of commercial confidentiality considerations.
Formal calls for proposals are not issued by the European Commission in respect of spending under this subhead but they do maintain lists of interested contractors whom they may invite directly to quote for the carrying out of new technology impact studies. Any person or institution in Ireland interested in making itself known to the Commission in this respect should write to the Information Technology Task Force in the Commission in Brussels.