Vol. 397 No. 1
70 Mr. Kavanagh asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline his position regarding the decision of the European Commission to appoint private consultants to monitor the National Development Plan; the way in which this appointment fits into his policy on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have no function with regard to the appointment of consultants by the European Commission where such appointments fall within its own competence.
I assume that the Deputy is referring to the monitoring provisions of the Community Support Framework (CSF) for Ireland, which includes those elements of the National Development Plan targeted for EC Structural Fund support.
The monitoring provisions and the related budget for technical assistance are intended to ensure efficient implementation of the overall CSF. Where mutually agreed between Ireland and the Commission, then technical assistance resources could be used to call upon independent organisations or experts to provide assistance. The precise consultants who could be employed and their terms of reference would be a matter for mutual agreement between the Irish Government and the European Commission.
These provisions form part of the CSF which represents a partnership between the Commission and the Irish Government and as such are in line with Government policy.
There are similar monitoring and technical assistance provisions in the CSFs of all member states.
