Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 May 2004
110 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the number of State contracts, projects or procurements in respect of which cost overruns have occurred in the past five years in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13106/04]
View answerAs indicated in my most recent response to the Deputy on this matter, Parliamentary Question No. 234 of 17 February 2004, contracts in my Department are generally of limited cost and of an advisory nature. Significant cost overruns are, therefore, not a frequent feature.
My Department has identified two contracts in which overruns occurred. A contract with the IPA for a review of the internal audit function in the Department saw an increase of €5,445 on an original contract price of €3,620. The cost increase arose because it became clear, after the commencement of the project, that more in-depth interviews were necessary to complete a satisfactory review. In the NDP-CSF information unit, which operates under the aegis of my Department, a contract with Drury Communications Ltd. for public awareness research saw an overrun of €2,767 on a contract of €48,567 because the survey questionnaire finally agreed was significantly longer than originally estimated.
Presumably, the Deputy's main interest is in capital projects. In view of this and although the Office of Public Works is not funded directly or indirectly by my Department, that office will communicate any relevant information on its contracts or procurements during the past five years direct to the Deputy as soon as possible.
