Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Dec 1996

Vol. 473 No. 3

Written Answers. - Departmental Staff.

Ivor Callely

Question:

97 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the persons appointed by him or by the Minister(s) of State at his Department as programme managers, advisers, assistants or back-up staff either in his Department or in constituency offices; the annualised remuneration paid to these staff; the names of individuals, groups or companies which have undertaken or have been approved to undertake full-time, part-time or casual consultancies, reviews, examinations or analyses or any public relations service on his behalf or on behalf of the Minister(s) of State at his Department; the actual and estimated cost for 1997 in this regard; the persons, companies, consultants or otherwise he or the Minister(s) of State at his Department have appointed to carry out work on behalf of semi-State bodies under the aegis of his Department; the reviews, consultancies or reports which he or the Minister(s) of State at his Department have commissioned or are due to commission; and the full costs in respect of all of these matters to his Department. [25099/96]

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. M. Higgins)

The Deputy will be aware that since my appointment as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht I have answered numerous questions from him and indeed other Deputies requesting similar information on the staffing of my private and constituency offices, consultancies and other related matters. Examples of such replies in 1996 alone include Question No. 90 of 14 February; Question No. 58 of 28 February; Question No. 73 of 6 March; Question No. 163 of 26 March; Question No. 663 of 21 May; Question No. 501 of 22 May; Questions Nos. 125, 129 and 623 of 22 October; Question No. 693 of 12 November and Question No. 95 of 3 December.

I have answered these questions as fully and openly as possible and have no difficulty in providing such information in normal circumstances. However, as I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, the amount of official time required, and the substantial cost involved, to answer such questions repeatedly is difficult to defend.

If the Deputy has a particular purpose in seeking such information, he may wish to contact me and I will endeavour to assist him. I should point out, however, that I have no function in relation to the appointment of consultants or other parties to carry out work on behalf of semi-State bodies under the aegis of my Department.