Departmental Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2012

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Questions (111)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

111. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will provide details in tabular form for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and to date 2012, inclusive, of the arrangements entered into by him, anybody under his aegis or State agency for which he has responsibility for the obtaining of advice from a senior or junior counsel and or a firm of solicitors; the subject matter for which advice was sought; the names of the barristers and solicitors firms concerned and the fees paid; the nature of the work concerned; if in each case the matter was advertised for competitive tender;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45656/12]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

My Department did not incur legal expenses from a firm of solicitors or from Senior or Junior Counsel, other than through the State's legal Offices, during the period in question. The National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) incorporating the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), is the only body under the aegis of my Department. In 2006 NESDO conducted a competitive tendering process for the provision of legal advice and the contract was awarded to Mason Hayes Curran. NESDO did not incur any expenditure on legal services from 2009 to date. Details of the expenditure incured by NESDO on legal services in 2008 are set out in the table below:

Reason for Procurement	Payment
Legal advice in relation to procurement of NESDO IT System	€337
Legal advice for the National and Economic Forum (NESF) in relation to recruitment issue	€9,081
Legal advice for the NESC on a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korean Economic and Cocial Development Commission	€841
Legal advice for the National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP) on National Workplace Surveys contracts for ESRI and Amarach	€7,743

Note: The NESF and NCPP were abolished in 2010.