Departmental Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 July 2019

Tuesday, 9 July 2019

Questions (580, 581)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

580. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the costs paid to companies (details supplied) for projects each was engaged forby his Department in each of the years 2015 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; the reason each was engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29438/19]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

581. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the costs paid to a company (details supplied) for projects each was engaged by his Department in each of the years 2015 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; the reason it was engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29547/19]

Written answers

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment

I propose to take Questions Nos. 580 and 581 together.

My Department administers a very diverse, complex and technical brief across critical and strategic sectors of the Irish economy. The technical, commercial, legal complexity and evolving nature of sectors with which the Department deals at times requires access to external professional expertise to assist in discharging its functions. In procuring these specialised services, my Department always seeks to ensure value for money and that these services contribute to project delivery and informed, robust and evidence based policy making.

Details of costs paid to the specific companies referred to for services provided to my Department in each year from 2015 to date in 2019 are set out in the following table.

Mazers, A&L Goodbody and Davy were not engaged by my Department in the period concerned.

Name of Company	Reason for engagement					Costs incurred each year
		2015	2016	2017	2018	2019 (to date)
KPMG	Study of the wider economic costs and benefits of potential extensions of the Irish natural gas network	-	-	-	€208,879	-
KPMG	Specialist support - National Broadband Plan	€729,831	€1,098,615	€4,777,775	€4,726,924	€778,907
PWC	Specialist support - National Broadband Plan	€1,040,440	€143,145	€759,927	€467,508	-
Deloitte	Specialist support - National Broadband Plan	-	€5,412	€16,236	€52,767	€8,456
Arthur Cox	Legal Advice on Shell’s Divestment from Corrib Gas Field	-	-	-	€124,608	€4,142
Arthur Cox	Legal Fees re Corrib Consent Process	€359,376	-	€39,276	€7,334	-
Deloitte	Support on National Cyber Security Strategy	-	-	-	-	€7,804