It is proposed to answer Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together.
As Minister for Social Welfare, I am responsible for a wide range of reviews of the policies, programmes and activities of my Department. Many of these reviews are carried out by staff of the Department as part of their normal work and do not involve any additional costs. They may also involve external expertise through ad-hoc working groups, commissions and so on.
In some cases external consultants are commissioned to carry out specific assignments, whether in relation to policy issues or, more commonly, to aspects of the administration of the Department's schemes and services. Generally speaking, it is not considered necessary for such reports to be published. Some 30 consultancy assignments have been commissioned since 16 December 1994. Formal reports have been provided in respect of 14 of these projects at a cost of £392,017. Details are as follows: