Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 January 2016
55. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the administrative costs incurred in 2015 of implementing the water conservation grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1725/16]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection is administering the Water Conservation Grant on behalf of the Department of Environment, Community, and Local Government. The administration and payment of this grant is a significant project for the Department and required the development and implementation of ICT systems, ICT infrastructure and various customer support and communications services.
The total administration costs to 31 December 2015 were €5,782,035.42. These included both the once-off setup costs and the operational costs for 2015. All costs in relation to the set-up and administration of the Water Conservation Grant are being recouped from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in line with existing procedures in this regard. Every effort has been made to maximise efficiencies and keep costs to the absolute minimum. In this regard, the Department has reused existing payment production systems to facilitate payment of the grant. It is also intended that the ICT infrastructure put in place for this project will be reused for the provision of online services in the future.
