Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2016
536. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the estimated full year savings for 2017 from reducing spending on professional fees by 10% in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14111/16]
View answerMy Department comprises two separate votes, Vote 28 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vote 27 International Co-operation.
The total amounts spent on professional fees in 2015 was as follows:
|
Votes |
Amount |
|
Vote 28 (Foreign Affairs and Trade): |
€5.992m |
|
Vote 27 (International Cooperation): |
€1.364m |
|
Total |
€7.356m |
The application of 10% reduction to this expenditure would result in a savings of approximately €0.7m.
The Department engages a range of professional external service providers in a number of areas where the required skills are not available in-house and it is more cost-effective to source these services externally.
Decisions on the need to commission and engage outside expertise are subject to the establishment of appropriate business cases and an approvals process carried out by Senior Management in the Department.
These services are procured by open competitive tender in accordance with EU and national rules and comply with the overall value for money objective of the Department. This is particularly relevant in relation to the external services engaged for the independent monitoring and evaluation of Ireland’s programme of overseas development assistance, Irish Aid.
In-depth analysis of issues by external experts has informed and continues to inform the Department’s policies, allowing for a more targeted use of resources and greater accountability in the allocation of budgets.
The level of expenditure on professional fees is constantly monitored to ensure that it does not exceed the level required to provide services to manage, oversee, monitor, evaluate and audit programmes and projects in the Department.
