I can confirm that a retired employee of Dúchas is engaged as a consultant clerk of works on the conservation of the Main Guard, Clonmel and that details of this commission were included in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 139 of 10 May 2001 under the category of Clerk of Works (conservation).
It is quite normal practice to engage clerks of works on large-scale projects. In the case of the Main Guard, it was necessary to engage a clerk of works with a background and experience in conservation of historic structures. It is difficult to procure such clerk of works services as there is little demand for them outside of State-sponsored conservation projects. The retired employee of Dúchas in question was the only such suitable clerk of works known at the time and he was duly commissioned for the project.
Consultants' services are otherwise normally commissioned from the wider private sector. Consultants' services are commissioned on an WP extended char 4,29as needed' basis in keeping with Government practice and where it is clear that it is more economical to commission consultants for relevant once-off projects, irrespective of duration, rather than recruit permanent staff.
