Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2004
136 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Finance the degree of public participation that will accompany the meeting of the European Union Finance Ministers to be held in Punchestown, County Kildare. [4797/04]
View answer144 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Finance if a final price has been agreed with the company that was awarded the contract for public relations work arising from the planned meeting of EU Finance Ministers at Punchestown racecourse in April 2003; the total value of the contract; the duties and responsibilities the company will undertake; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4758/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 144 together.
The informal meeting of the Council of Economics and Finance Ministers of the European Union — ECOFIN Council — in Punchestown on 2 to 4 April will be one of the largest to take place in Ireland during the Irish Presidency. Some 300 delegates and up to 400 media personnel will attend the event. The national delegations will be headed up by Ministers for Finance and governors of central banks, and will come from the ten new member states which join the EU on 1 May and from the 15 existing member states.
The public will be kept fully informed on the meeting in a number of ways. As indicated, there will be a large media presence, which will be mainly from abroad but also from Ireland. The media presence is to ensure that the public not only in Ireland but in the rest of the EU, in the ten newly acceding countries and, indeed, even further afield, receive full reports on the discussions at the meeting.
The foreign media will be interested not only in the meeting itself but also in Ireland generally and in the Irish economy. For instance, there is a particular appetite on the part of journalists from the ten new member states for appropriate information on how Ireland has benefited from membership of the EU, and special arrangements are being made to provide such information in this regard.
There will also be full coverage of the meeting on the Irish Presidency website at www.eu2004.ie The Presidency website has grown enormously in importance in recent years as a means of public communication. I am fully satisfied that through the media reports and the website coverage the public will be kept very well informed on the meeting.
With regard to the consultancy company being employed in relation to the meeting, the final price for the company's services is €83,400. This company will augment my Department's preparations for the meeting through the provision of advice on the detailed programme management of the event. It will be appreciated that an event of this size makes exceptional demands on my Department's resources. I am satisfied that the employment, through competitive tender, of the firm of consultants to provide the support services outlined is fully justified and will contribute significantly to the success of the event itself.
