Vol. 473 No. 6
266 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the number of reviews and studies undertaken by consultants or ordered from within his Department since he became Minister; the purpose of each of these studies; the action, if any, which has followed since completion; and the cost of each review or study. [2072/97]
Six external studies have been undertaken or ordered from within my Department since I became Minister for Tourism and Trade in December 1994. Details are as follows: (1) Arthur D. Little advised the interdepartmental steering committee set up to oversee the implementation of the recommendations in the review of Bord Fáilte. The implementation of these recommendations has resulted in a major restructuring of Bord Fáilte. The cost of the consultancy was £100,000, of which the Department paid £40,000 and Bord Fáilte £60,000. As this is a fourth schedule service, VAT of £8,400 was also paid by the Department to the Revenue Commissioners; (2) Indecon advised the Department in June 1995 on progressing the national conference centre project at a cost of £11,233.64, of which 75 per cent is reimbursed by the European regional development fund under the operational programme for tourism; (3) Mediawise provided once-off advice on the projection and presentation of policy by me as Minister at a cost of £1,550; (4) Public Relations of Ireland were on contract from June 1995 to December 1996 providing guidance and advice to myself and the Department on public relations matters at a total cost of £67,680.14, including VAT; (5) The National Monitoring Committee for the Operational Programme for Tourism appointed a firm of economic consultants to act as external evaluator for the programme. The firm has carried out 11 studies to date on specific aspects of the programme and their findings are used to guide the work of the monitoring committee. The same firm is also carrying out the mid-term evaluation of the operational programme in order to ascertain what changes, if any, should be made in the programme as it reaches its mid-stage. Expenditure on these consultancies amounted to £5,227.20 in 1995 and £71,111.78 in 1996, of which 75 per cent is reimbursed by the European regional development fund under the operational programme; and (6) In 1995, KPMG Stokes Kennedy Crowley completed a training needs analysis report for the Department, work on which had begun in 1994. A training and development committee was subsequently established to oversee the implementation of the report's recommendations. Under the committee's auspices, prioritised training and development programmes, aligned to achieving the Department's mission and core strategic objectives, were agreed and implemented. The cost of the study was £15,185.50, of which £6,110.50 was paid over in 1995.
