Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 July 2020
168. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reports he has commissioned in 2019 and 2020; the titles of the reports completed but unpublished in 2019 and 2020; the cost of each report in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20825/20]
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 responsibilities in the areas concerned.
Details of external reports commissioned by my Department in each of the years concerned are set out in the attached table.
|
Consultancy Company Name |
Title of Report |
Date or expected date of publication |
Cost of Report |
|
Ricardo Energy & Environment Ltd |
Microgeneration Support Options Analysis |
30/09/2020 |
€77,661 |
|
MKO, Environmental Consultants |
Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) Screening & Report; Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening exercise and Report |
Expected publication during Q3 2020, following submission of National Energy & Climate Plan (NECP) to the European Commission. |
€9,102 |
|
AECOM Ireland |
Social, environmental and economic analysis of the effects of the Galmoy and Lisheen Mines on their respective local communities |
Published 27/05/2020 |
€ 98,000 |
|
Wardell Armstrong LLP |
Provision of Expert Services for Mine Inspection, Environmental Advice and Compliance with terms of State Mining Leases/Licence |
Reports produced annually are not published as they are commercially sensitive. |
€ 13,000 annually |
|
CDM Smith Ireland |
Environmental Monitoring at former mining areas of Silvermines, Co. Tipperary and Avoca, Co. Wicklow (4 reports per year) |
2019 reports awaiting publication |
€ 40,000 annually |
|
Individual Contractor |
Strategic Review of Structures and Staffing of the Exploration and Mining Division |
Internal document unpublished |
€ 4,800 |
|
Wardell Armstrong LLP |
An Independent Review of the Works Completed by SRK Following a Crownhole Occurrence Adjacent to the L4900 at Drumgoosat. |
Published July 2019 |
€ 11,457 |
|
Wardell Armstrong LLP |
Independent Review of the Stability Report on the Drumgoosat Underground Mine Workings Below and Adjacent to the R179 Carrickmacross to Kingscourt Road, Co. Monaghan. |
Unpublished – in draft |
€ 12,500 |
|
CSA Global |
Technical Review: Tellus Geochemistry Programme Geological Survey Ireland |
August 2019 |
€ 48,989 |
|
Tobins Consulting Engineers |
National Litter Pollution Monitoring Scheme Report 2019 |
August 2020 |
€47,109 |
|
Tobins Consulting Engineers |
National Litter Pollution Monitoring Scheme Report 2020 |
Q2 2021 |
€47,109 |
|
Grant Thornton |
Digital Hub Development Agency Review Report |
Autumn 2020 |
€71,832 |
|
Norcontel |
Review of new enet MANs products |
Not for publication |
€4,305 |
|
Eunomia Research and Consulting Limited |
National Study in ‘Improving the capture rate of single use beverage containers in Ireland’ |
September 2020 |
€30,752 |
|
RPS Consulting Engineers Limited |
Review of Year 1 of operation of Compliance Scheme for tyres |
November 2019 |
€30,608 |
|
EnvEcon AP Limited |
Consultancy to support work of the Technical Research and Modelling (TRAM) Group. Work focused on climate and air quality modelling; in addition work during 2020 will include support to the Department in implementing elements of EU Directive 2019/904 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (the Single Use Plastics Directive), and in respect of proposals announced in 2019 for the introduction of levies on disposable coffee cups. The work is being undertaken as part of a 4 year publicly procured multiannual contract November 2018-2022; |
Certain reports and outputs provided to TRAM will be published when work is completed but other reports may not be published due to commercial sensitivity. |
€470,537 for 2020; costs are fixed as part a multiannual contract; |
|
University College Cork (MaREI Institute) |
Consultancy to support work of the Technical Research and Modelling (TRAM) Group. Work focused on energy systems and climate modelling; The work is being undertaken as part of a 4 year publicly procured multiannual contract December 2018-2022; |
Certain reports and outputs provided to TRAM will be published when work is completed but other reports may not be published due to commercial sensitivity. |
€587,955 for 2020 |
|
University College Dublin (Energy Institute) |
Consultancy to support work of the Technical Research and Modelling (TRAM) Group. Work focused on electricity systems modelling; The work is being undertaken as part of a 4 year publicly procured multiannual contract February 2019-2023; |
Certain reports and outputs provided to TRAM will be published when work is completed but other reports may not be published due to commercial sensitivity. |
€341,264 for 2020; costs are fixed as part of a multiannual contract; |
|
Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) |
Consultancy to support work of the Technical Research and Modelling (TRAM) Group. Research Programme on Climate, Energy and the Economy 2020-2022; Work being undertaken includes Work will include further development of the ESRI’s I3E economic model; research relating to new EU emissions targets; development of carbon budgets and implementation of certain actions under the Climate Action Plan 2019. |
Certain reports and outputs provided to TRAM will be published when work is completed but other reports may not be published due to commercial sensitivity |
€200,000 for 2020; costs are fixed as part of a multiannual contract; |
|
McKinsey and Company Inc. Ireland |
Contract followed a public procurement process and is to provide: (i) a Marginal Abatement Cost Curves to identify least cost 2050 decarbonisation pathways for Ireland, including net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050;(ii) a Marginal Abatement Cost Curve to identify the abatement potential of circular economy (including bio-economy) activities; and assistance in the development of a pilot aggregated retrofitting model for Ireland. The contract spans late 2019 to late 2020. |
MACCS will be included in Ireland’s Long Term Strategy to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and in the Climate Action Plan 2020; Information relating to assistance given to the retrofitting taskforce will be published as part of the work of the Retrofitting Taskforce and may be subject to commercial sensitivity. |
€861,000 - costs are fixed as part of a one year contract; |
|
McKinsey and Company Inc. Ireland |
Contract to provide a Marginal Abatement Cost Curve for Ireland which supported the development of the Climate Action Plan 2019. Contract lasted from January to June 2019. |
MACC was included in Climate Action Plan 2019 published in July 2019 |
€392,000 - costs were fixed as part of a short-term contract; |
|
E4MSA SRL Turin Italy |
Contract to provide Marginal Abatement Cost Curve for non ETS CO2 emissions 2021-2030. Contract lasted from December 2018 to April 2019. |
Not published as it is commercially sensitive. |
€30,750 - costs were fixed as part of a short term contract; |
