Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Oct 1995

Vol. 457 No. 3

Written Answers. - Material Costs.

Mary O'Rourke

Question:

102 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the number and cost of staff in his general and private ministerial offices and the general and private ministerial offices of the Minister(s) of State at his Department; the number and cost of contract and part-time staff employed in such offices; the cost of all travel undertaken by him or the Minister(s) of State at his Department since appointment to office outlining the destinations visited, the duration, dates and purpose of the trips: the total expenses incurred by him or the Minister(s) of State at his Department; and the cost and names of consultancy services to his Department and each State body under the aegis of his Department to date in 1995. [15307/95]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

There are 34 staff employed in the general and private ministerial offices of this Department at an estimated total cost (including salaries, PRSI, superannuation and overheads) to the end of September 1995 of £788,862. Of these, eight contract staff are employed at an estimated cost of £232,650 and two part-time staff at an estimated cost of £39,389.

The cost of all travel undertaken by me and the two Ministers of State at my Department since appointment was £38,734.64 as follows:

Minister for Enterprise and Employment

A.Home Travel

Date	Duration	Destination	Purpose	Net Cost to Department's Vote (see footnote)
				£
10-11 March	Overnight	Sligo	Launch of Sligo County Enterprise Plan
			Address to Sligo Chamber of Commerce	19.09
21 March	1 day	Galway	Launch of Programme for International Competitiveness
			Official opening of phase II of Galway Technology Centre
			Meeting with Round Table of Galway Chief Executives	19.09
24 March	½day	Shannon	Meeting with Board of SFADCo
			Official opening of Clare County Enterprise Board Offices and launch of Clare County Enterprise plan
			Presentation of Q Mark to Shannon Development
			Official opening of Ennis Chamber of Commerce HQ and address to Chamber	19.09
11-12 May	2 days	Limerick, Cork,	Address at IMI Conference in Cork
		Kilkenny	Delivery of keynote address at conference of the Institute for Personnel & Development in Killarney	63.35
19 May	½day	Belfast	Official opening of Co- operation North seminar	7.79
9 June	1 day	Cork	Official opening of Resound Ireland
			Visit to Ceramics Ireland Ltd., Ballydehob	19.09
16 June	1 day	Galway	Presentation of awards at FAS Training Centre
			Lunch with representatives of MB Ireland Ltd. and Bausch & Lomb	7.79
4 July	Evening	Tralee	Attendance at ICTU Conference	7.79
6 September	½ day	Cork	Discussions with Irish Steel	7.79
Total	£170.87

B. Foreign Travel

Date	Duration	Destination	Purpose	Net Cost to Department's Vote (see footnote)
				£
7 January 1995	1 day	Coventry	Meeting with Managing Direc tor of Packard Electric	1,336.00
30 March 1995	1 overnight	Zurich	Meeting with shareholders of Shannon Aerospace	2,900.89
6 April 1995	1 day	Luxembourg	EU Industry Council	280.26
21 May 1995	5 overnights	San Francisco & Washington	IDA promotional visit	8,621.19
28 June 1995	1 day	London	Presentation of DÍON grants to Irish Emigrant organisations in the UK	998.57
7 July 1995	2 overnights	Spain	Informal EU Industry Council	1,746.18
4 October 1995	2 overnights	Taiwan	IDA Promotional visit	109.18
Total				£15,992.27

Minister for Science and Technology

A Home Travel

Date	Duration	Destination	Purpose	Net Cost to Department's Vote (see footnote)
				£
6-7 April	Overnight	Cork	Address to and attendance at UCC seminar on enterpreneurship Discussions with President of UCC relating to science and technology	83.73
16-17 September	Overnight	Galway, Mayo	Special guest at UCG Gala Banquet Opening of Ballyhaunis Enterprise Centre	72.43
21-22 September	Overnight	Galway	Attendance at Biotechnology Conference in UCG	64.64
Total				£220.80

B. Foreign Travel

Date	Duration	Destination	Purpose	Net Cost to Department's Vote (see footnote)
				£
7 January 1995	1 day	Coventry	Meeting with Managing Direc- tor of Packard Electric	(Details shown under Minister Bruton)
10 March 1995	2 overnights	Brussels	EU Research Council	598.91
29 March 1995	1 overnight	Brussels	EU Consumer Council	184.68
8 June 1995	1 overnight	Luxembourg	EU Research Council	1,561.16
25 September 1995	2 overnights	Paris	OECD Meeting of the Com mittee for Scientific and Technological Policy at Min- isterial level	1,376.39
Total				£3,721.14

Minister for Labour Affairs

A Home Travel

The Minister is paid the normal monthly mileage allowance payable to Ministers of State and up to 30 September 1995 she was paid £6,525.89. In addition, she was paid £96.88 subsistence in respect of a visit to a number of FAS centres in Donegal.

B.Foreign Travel

Date	Duration	Destination	Purpose	Net Cost to Department's Vote (see footnote)
				£
26 March 1995	1 overnight	Brussels	EU Social Affairs Council	3,198.86
7 June 1995	2 overnights	Geneva	Attendance at International Labour Conference of the ILO	1,821.51
28 June 1995	1 overnight	Luxembourg	EU Social Affairs Council	3,389.93
10 July 1995	1 day	Brussels	Meeting with Commissioner Flynn and senior Com mission officials to discuss forthcoming Irish Presi dency	1,083.56
25 September 1995	1 overnight	Warsaw	European Regional Meeting of the ILO	1,889.93
4 October 1995	1 overnight	Luxembourg	EU Social Affairs Council	623.00
Total				£12,006.79

Footnotes

(1) Net cost figures represent claims submitted to-date to my Department.

(2) Includes costs of Departmental officials where relevant.

The total expenses incurred by me and the two Ministers of State at my Department to date in 1995 are as follows:

Minister for Enterprise and Employment	Minister for Labour Affairs	Minister for Science and Technology
£11,294	£6,014	£6,502

These figures include the payment of the ministerial expense allowance which is applicable to all ministerial office holders.

Details in relation to the cost of consultancy services to my Department to date in 1995 are as follows:

Consultancy	Provided By	Gross Cost
		£
Provision of legal services to Registry of Friendly Societies	Connolly J. Lowe and Sons, Legal Costs Accountants Patrick J. Morrisey, Solicitor John D. Cooke, Senior Counsel	1,991.54
Review of Music Copyright	Cooney and Carey, Chartered Accountants	4,500.00
Aer Lingus Task Force (Consultancy Support)	Dave Walsh and Associates, Manage- ment and Training Consultants	7,000.00
Sunday Trading Study	IPC	6,050.00
Study of Steel Prices	Myles O'Reilly and Associates	2,662.00
Strategic Management Initiative	Hay MSL	17,840.88
Irish Steel Consultancy	Environmental Management and Audit ing Services Ltd.	15,340.12

The use of consultancy services by State bodies under the aegis of my Department is a matter of the day-to-day administration of these bodies in which I have no function.