Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 May 2004
182 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will detail reports that have been internally prepared or externally commissioned by his Department since 1 July 2003, indicating in all cases if they had been published; when they will be published; and if they are not intended for publication in relation to externally commissioned reports, the costs of the reports. [12811/04]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that a wide range of reports are routinely prepared in my Department for the purposes of administration, management of schemes, financial management, internal audit, personnel, etc. I take it that these are not the subject of the Deputy's inquiry, as it would simply not be feasible to identify every such note prepared for management purposes since July 2003. I also take it that small-scale technical evaluations or analyses carried out by consultants, that is, less than €5,000, are excluded.
Within the framework of the foregoing, I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliament Question No. 497 of 17 February 2004. Further to the material in that reply, information in relation to substantive reports internally prepared or externally commissioned by my Department since 1 July 2003 is set out in the appendix below.
Appendix
Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Annual Report 2002. Prepared internally. Published September 2003 also available on website; IT Strategy Report. Prepared by Deloitte & Touche. Completed March 2004 at a cost of €102,000, including VAT. Not intended for publication;
Access to Waymarked Ways. Prepared internally. Published January 2004; A Review of Support for Enterprise in Rural Areas. Commissioned from Fitzpatrick Associates in September 2003 at a cost of €76,000, including VAT. This is likely to be published July 2004; Decentralisation — Information on towns in the west. Internally prepared. Contains information on 17 towns in the area surrounding Knock Airport as well as Na Forbacha and Clifden. Report is also on the website. It will also be published in book form; Review of the Work of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, NACD. Commissioned from Talbot Associates February 2004. Expected to be completed by end May 2004 at a cost of €39,125, excluding VAT. No decision has been made on publication at this stage; Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Gaeltacht. Contract awarded to Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, University of Ireland, Galway, in conjunction with the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis, University of Ireland, Maynooth, in January 2004. Study scheduled for completion September 2006 and the estimated cost is €550,223, including VAT. The report is expected to be published on completion; The effectiveness and value for money of the subsidised transport services to a number of islands. Commissioned from Malachy Walsh & Partners, in association with Posford Haskoning, Raymond Burke Consulting, McCaig Watson and Seosamh Mac Donnacha, at a cost of €95,642, including VAT. Published April 2004; Mid-Term Evaluation of LEADER. Phase 1 commissioned from Fitzpatrick Associates, in association with Brendan Kearney & Associates, at cost of €100,370, including VAT. It has not been published but has been circulated to all interested parties, including the EU Commission, the LEADER+ monitoring committee and all the LEADER+ groups; Review of department's Internal Audit Function. Carried out by IPA at cost of €9,000, excluding VAT. Completed in October 2003. Not intended for publication; The National Advisory Committee on Drugs, NACD, in pursuit of its agreed drugs research programme, has commissioned research as set out below. Decisions on publication, as appropriate, will be made by the NACD upon completion of the research. Drug Issues and the Homeless Study was commissioned from Merchants Quay Project Limited in July 2003. It is due for completion in August 2004 at cost of €62,643, excluding VAT; Drug Issues and the Travellers Study was commissioned from Vision 21 in July 2003. It is due for completion in September 2004 at cost of €49,445, excluding VAT. Evaluation of National Drug Awareness Campaign was commissioned from NUI Galway in September 2003. It is due for completion in December 2005 at cost of €60,000, excluding VAT.
