Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
2215. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of external consultant reports commissioned by his Department in each of the years March 2011 to 2018 and to date in 2019; the cost of same; the company involved; and the title and publication date by report in tabular form. [32243/19]
View answerMy Department administers a very diverse, complex and technical brief across a range of strategic sectors. The technical, commercial, legal complexity and evolving nature of sectors with which the Department deals requires access from time to time 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.
The bulk of the studies commissioned are technical and specialist in nature and were necessary to address specific issues as they arose and enable the Department to discharge its policy and project responsibilities in the areas concerned.
Details of external consultant reports commissioned by my Department in each of the years concerned are available at the following link.
*These costs are recouped from the operator of the Corrib Gasfield Project.
**The payments listed above refer to payments made to the contract holder in any given contractual 12 month period, which runs from May to April.
** paid quarterly from the Environment Fund. As yet no payment has issued to Tobin Consulting Engineers for the 2019/2020 contract which commenced in May 2019
****Technical support for the development and management of key operational elements in the national climate and energy policy process is provided by the Technical Research and Modelling Group (TRAM).
