Vol. 495 No. 1
139 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the reasons a person (details supplied) attended meetings in her Department in April and May 1994 relating to the preparation of the memorandum for Government relating to the Luas project; whether the person involved received any remuneration for services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19068/98]
140 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if a person (details supplied) has been engaged by her Department in any advisory role, whether remunerated or not, since June 1997; if so, the duties involved and the remuneration paid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19069/98]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together.
No such meetings took place in 1994, however in 1998 a number of meetings were held between officials of my Department and the office of the Tánaiste as part of the consultative process in preparation for the Government deliberations in relation to the Dublin light rail project. I suggested that the discussions consider the option of an underground section in the city centre. The person in question accompanied an official from the office of the Tánaiste to some of these meetings. That person did not receive any remuneration from my Department in relation to his attendance at these meetings. I am very happy at the range, scope, participative nature and outcome of these discussions.
In the context of preparing responses to the commitments which will arise under the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, and conscious of the important implications of those commitments for the power generation sector, the ESB undertook work for my Department in early 1998 in connection with energy forecasts and environmental implications arising from the important and dominant position of the ESB in the provision of energy in the State. The person named was one of the ESB personnel involved in developing these forecasts. This was a voluntary arrangement and no renumeration was involved.
