John Bruton
Question:6 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the number of external consultants engaged on projects for his Department and agencies or committees that come under the aegis of his Department. [1223/99]
Ceisteanna–Questions. - Consultancy Contracts.
Ruairí Quinn
Question:7 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the total amount expended by his Department on external consultancies in 1998; the average spent on each engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2578/99]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 6 and 7 together.
There are currently five external consultants engaged on projects for my Department. In addition, there are seven consultants engaged at present by the bodies under the aegis of my Department. These comprise two consultants engaged by the Information Society Commission, two by the Moriarty tribunal, two by the Central Statistics Office and one by the Office of the Chief State Solicitor.
During 1998, expenditure on consultancies by my Department amounted to £128,417. This rep resents expenditure on eight projects or engagements, and the average spend on each was £16,052. In all, ten consultancies were commissioned by the Information Society Commission, the National Economic and Social Forum and the All-Party Committee on the Constitution, at a total cost of £147,442, averaging £14,744 per consultancy. The cost of a consultancy commissioned by the Referendum Commission in 1998 was £111,622.
What was the consultancy study commissioned by the CSO about, what was the study commissioned by the Office of the Chief State Solicitor about and what was the purpose of the consultancy commissioned by the Referendum Commission?
One IT consultant is currently engaged for a two year contract period in the development of the CSO's IT strategy. The CSO has also engaged consultants on a part-time basis for a project on data capture using optical scanning technology. This is new to the CSO and therefore external consultants are being engaged to provide assistance with training, skills transfer, and advice on form design and technical assistance. In the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, one IT consultant, Manorhamilton Services, is engaged for the provision of technical assistance. The total cost is £53,000 from August 1997 to the end of 1999. The consultancy for the Referendum Commission related to the work done for the referendum last summer.
Does the Taoiseach agree that, to some degree at least, the appointment of consultants is a way of circumventing Civil Service pay guidelines and to get work which should normally be done within the Civil Service done at a higher cost than if public servants were employed to do it?
In some cases that might be the case but in these instances it clearly is not. Many of these consultants are people with expert knowledge who can bring something special to a project, although I cannot say whether that is true of all of them. The Deputy could be right in that a consultant could spend 18 months working on nothing except a particular project, whereas a normal public servant cannot do that. People engaged on these consultancies are there to complete it as quickly as possible and to dedicate themselves to it. A civil servant is normally never in a position to do that, particularly at senior level – none of our senior civil servants can be sure, when he or she comes to work in the morning, what he or she will be doing at lunch time, never mind at the end of the day.
It is certainly true at the moment.
No, it is a permanent feature.
The Taoiseach has added an element of spice to it; job satisfaction has taken on a new dimension.
I do not have journalists in my Department to write about civil servants who keep working.
There are archivists.
I have a librarian.
I recognise the necessity for the hiring of consultants, particularly in the IT area. That field is moving forward rapidly and it is difficult for a permanent establishment to have the necessary expertise within its ranks. It is clear from the Taoiseach's reply that the bulk of the activity appears to be in that general area. I do not wish to curtail the necessity for flexibility in the Taoiseach's office, but it is essential to ensure we get value for money. Can the Taoiseach assure the House the consultants' reports and contracts, which no doubt were advertised in the proper way, will be subject to an evaluation by the Comptroller and Auditor General in due course? This would ensure the critical test of value for money is applied to these consultancy contracts, none of which appears to be excessive given the figures quoted by the Taoiseach.
I can say yes to that. My Department complies with EU regulations governing contracts and follows the guidelines of the Department of Finance in awarding public contracts. Before awarding a consultancy contract, and except in cases where there are clear reasons for not doing so, the Department provides for competitive tendering by inviting at least three firms to tender.