Vol. 576 No. 6
161 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the total amount of expenditure on consultancy by his Department in 2000, 2001 and 2002; the numbers of consultants engaged by his Department in those years; the steps which have been taken to reduce the expenditure on consultancy and the reliance on consultants by his Department in those years and for the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30269/03]
I have attached, for the Deputy's information, details of consultants paid from both Vote 38, foreign affairs, and Vote 39, international co-operation.
My Department commissions consultancies where specialised knowledge and/or skills are not available in house and, particularly in the case of the development co-operation Ireland, or DCI, programme, where an independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required. DCI consultancies cover a wide range of sectors, including HIV/AIDS, education, health and rural development.
Under Vote 38, 94% of expenditure on consultancies for 2002 related to the upgrading of the Department's information technology infrastructure at headquarters and our missions abroad and the automated passport production system. The latter is essential to meet future demands for passports in an efficient and effective manner and to comply with new international security regulations for passports. Once those projects are complete, it is expected that engagement of consultants will be significantly reduced.
An outsourcing specialist was recruited last year to oversee the commissioning of consultancies under Vote 39. Since then, procedures and systems have been reviewed and strengthened to ensure that maximum value for money is achieved.
|
Year |
No. ofConsultants |
Total Expenditure |
|
€ |
||
|
2000 |
5 |
77,693.77 |
|
2001 |
12 |
423,269.27 |
|
2002 |
23 |
5,206,079.21 |
|
Year |
No. ofConsultants |
Total Expenditure |
|
€ |
||
|
2000 |
94 |
2,028,139 |
|
2001 |
103 |
3,131,061 |
|
2002 |
79 |
3,061,743 |
