The information requested by the Deputy can be found in the attached table. The IT consultancy engagements concerned relate to quarterly independent assessments of the Department’s IT security measures as required for EU accreditation purposes and biannual independent security review of the Department's IT infrastructure. An independent review of all the Geographical Information based computer systems (GIS) in my Department was also carried out as this is an integral part of the effective and efficient administration of our EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) based payment schemes. The total amount spent on external IT consultants in each year is as follows:
-
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
To date 2013
|
€
|
74,279
|
73,597
|
122,511
|
101,217
|
It is estimated that the spend in 2014 will amount to some €108,000.