Written Answers Nos. 191-196
191. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the anticipated cost to the Exchequer per annum of ceasing the practice of outsourcing and reliance on temporary contract work at the Clerical Officer grade. [30294/14]
View answerThe Government is committed to exploring alternative service delivery models, including external delivery, as part of an overall objective to improve the quality and efficiency of public services, while ensuring they remain affordable and sustainable. Each public body, when deciding whether to use external service delivery, is expected to produce a detailed business case. This will involve evaluating the merits of such a decision, taking into account a number of factors, including overall cost, quality of service, effectiveness and the public interest.
Temporary Clerical Officer (TCO) recruitment for the Civil Service is typically run each year to facilitate the filling of short term vacancies/absences. This enables managers to fill critical posts delivering essential public services on a temporary basis without conflicting with Government policy on reducing overall Civil Service numbers. The type of vacancies filled include cover for family-friendly initiatives, such as the shorter working year scheme and to address seasonal peaks in demand.
Given that any decision to use external service delivery or to recruit TCOs is undertaken on a case by case basis, the details of the costs/benefits incurred or realised will be dependent on the service and public body in question.
192. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there is a procurement policy in place to examine cost savings associated with FLOSS systems. [30318/14]
View answerFree/ Libre/Open Source Software ( F/LOSS) is used quite widely and wherever it makes operational and economic sense in Departments and Offices. In making software choices, a Department is required to operate a procurement policy that facilitates open competition, best value for money and best technological fit to requirements in keeping with public procurement law. The evaluation of a procurement exercise is conducted on as close to a total cost of ownership (TCO) model as possible and at a minimum includes the following costs: licensing; arising hardware upgrades/ renewals/replacements; IT and user training; support and maintenance; planning, testing and migration; external expertise; and exit costs.
193. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of money spent by the State per annum on licences and consultancy on existing Government software systems, for each year since 2011. [30319/14]
View answerWhile my Department is responsible for the overall sanctioning of ICT expenditure in the public service, the responsibility for day to day operations rests with each Department and State Agency. Consequently, decisions relating to licences and consultancy and associated costs are matters for each Department and Agency, subject to the normal sanctioning arrangements.
My Department currently provides IT services to the Department of Finance on a shared service basis. Unfortunately, the expenditure information requested could not be collated in the time available. My Department will respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
194. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if representations have been made to his Department by proprietary software vendors; if so, the companies concerned; the number of such contacts each year since 2011; and the nature of the representations made. [30320/14]
View answerThe Office of the Government Chief Information Officer in my Department is responsible for a wide range of ICT related activities. As part of these activities, OGCIO officials are in regular informal contact with representatives of a wide variety of national and international software vendors.
A number of formal representations were received to my Office as follows:
|
Year |
Company |
Nature of Contact |
|
2011 |
Reynolds Display Limited |
Product awareness raising |
|
2011 |
Planet4 Solutions |
Company awareness raising |
|
2011 |
Olive Media |
Company awareness raising |
|
2011 |
WorldNet TPS |
Service awareness raising |
|
2011 |
Radiant Ireland |
Product awareness raising |
|
2012 |
MXSweep |
Company awareness raising |
|
2012 |
Kingspan Environmental |
Company awareness raising |
|
2012 |
Huddle |
Company awareness raising |
|
2012 |
I.P.One |
Company awareness raising |
|
2012 |
Web Times Ten |
Service awareness raising |
|
2013 |
HP |
Service awareness raising |
These representations were passed to the OGCIO for consideration.
195. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works is responsible for the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park; his plans to improve or restore this monument and make it into a public attraction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30327/14]
View answer196. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works held any discussions with the Department of Defence regarding restoring the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30328/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.
I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that they are responsible for the Magazine Fort, which is a protected structure within the Phoenix Park. The Department of Defence has no role in regard to this site.
The primary focus of the Office of Public Works is to protect and conserve the existing buildings and fortifications of the Magazine Fort. It is planned to carry out certain limited refurbishment works that would facilitate public access to sections of the Fort as and when resources become available for this purpose. Anything like full restoration would be very expensive and just not a practical proposition currently.
