Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 October 2012
129. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will estimate the cost of Ireland's hosting of the EU Presidency in 2013; if he will indicate the total cost of the previous Irish EU presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44253/12]
View answer148. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the cost to date of preparation for the Irish Presidency of the EU; the estimated total cost that will be incurred; the proportion that will accrue to domestic firms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43396/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 148 together.
An overarching focus of the Government in planning for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of 2013 is to run an efficient and cost-effective Presidency. The Government decided in December 2011 to allocate a budget in the order of €60m over 2012 and 2013 to resource the Presidency, which excludes security costs. This budget is broadly in line with budgets for recent Presidencies and is less than the budget for the Irish Presidency in 2004 where total expenditure was in excess of €93 million.
An effectively managed Presidency will deliver long-term reputational benefit for Ireland. Short-term benefits include significant benefits for the local economy from an influx of up to 15,000 delegates, press and representatives of NGOs who will use local services including hotels, restaurants, taxis etc. over the six month Presidency period. The use of Dublin Castle and a small number of other state-owned venues mainly in Dublin to host most Presidency meetings will reduce venue hire, transport and set-up costs, not to mention significantly reducing the “carbon footprint” of the Presidency. To date, expenditure on Presidency related items by all Departments is just over €4.2 million. However, that figure is expected to rise rapidly as additional staff is deployed to the Presidency and payments to service providers and suppliers begin to fall due over the coming months.
The procurement of most logistical requirements for the Presidency is being centralised to reduce costs, reduce administrative burden, and increase efficiencies. Procurement is being carried out on a collaborative basis involving principally my Department, the National Procurement Service and the Office of Public Works. Purchasing is being conducted in a transparent and competitive basis in compliance with relevant EU and national rules which, among other things, require that contracts over certain value thresholds (€130,000 for goods and services) be advertised and open to EU-wide competition. It is too early to say at this stage how much of the procurement spend will accrue to domestic firms, but I can confirm that domestic suppliers and service providers are actively and successfully competing for tenders to date.
