Constitutional Convention

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

Questions (157)

Carol Nolan

Question:

157. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Taoiseach the amounts paid, either on the basis of a contract or as gratuities or expenses to each of the chairpersons, speakers, facilitators, researchers or other persons in respect of the Constitutional Convention in 2012 and all citizens assemblies that were held from 2012 to date. [23976/22]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Convention on the Constitution and the Citizens’ Assemblies to date were established by Resolutions of the Houses of the Oireachtas and operated independently of the Government, albeit they were assisted by my Department which provided Secretariat and other supports.

Details of expenditure for the Convention on the Constitution are set out in the following table:

Constitution Convention 2012 - 2014

Subhead	€
Salary, Wages and Allowances	€605,736
Travel, Subsistence and Accommodation Costs	€260,632
Incidental Expenses including Catering, translations and Conferences	€243,894
Postal & Telecommunications	€11,686
Office Equipment and Supplies	€175,767
Office Premises Equipment Total	€37,144
Consultancy Services Total	€31,829
	€1,366,688

The Chair of the Convention received a salary (as a serving public servant) and was paid travel expenses amounting to €1,905 covering the period January to October 2013. Experts did not receive payment.

No payments were made to academic speakers or advocates during the Convention and facilitators were paid from the payroll of my Department.

Payment was made to various educational institutions to cover the cost of hiring teaching replacements required as a result of the participation of staff members in the Convention and Assemblies.

Details of expenditure in relation to the Citizens' Assemblies 2016-2018 and 2020-2021 are set out in the following tables.

Breakdown of costs for the Citizens' Assembly 2016-2018

Category	Totals to end June, 2018
Conference/Catering and accommodation	€544,461.43
Reimbursement of Travel and other Expenses	€218,214.56
Irish Translation Services/Provision of Sign Language Services	€69,381.60
Broadcasting/Media Services/Photography	€249,258.01
Recruitment of Members/ Facilitation and Note taking Services	€244,016.14
Website/Advertising	€65,950.55
Research	€23,746.20
Legal/Advisory/Support Services	€47,274.79
Technical Services	€43,657.62
TOTAL	€1,505,960.90

Breakdown of costs for the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality 2020-2021

Category	Totals to end August 2021
Conference/Catering and accommodation	€75,019.61
Reimbursement of Travel and Member Related Expenses	€80,571.84
Irish Translation Services/Provision of Sign Language Services	€11,409.89
Broadcasting/Media Services/Photography	€46,869.38
Recruitment of Members/ Facilitation and Note taking Services	€229,021.15
Website/Advertising	€30,329.57
Legal/Advisory/Support Services	€61,008.36
Research	€43,603.78
Technical Services	€50,564.42
Total	€628,398.00

In the case of each of the Citizens’ Assemblies the Chairs waived any fees. The Assembly Members were not paid for attendance; however, they were reimbursed for expenses incurred in attending meetings, including travel costs and a contribution towards childcare. All members of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality (including the Chair) received a voucher for €500 in recognition of their time and civic commitment. This had been recommended by the Chair of the previous Assembly and provided for in the Resolution establishing the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality. The Assemblies did not pay fees to guest speakers for their attendance; however, travel expenses were covered, and a modest fee was paid on two separate occasions to moderators in respect of the 2020 -2021 Assembly.

Services for the Citizens’ Assemblies are procured in line with the National Procurement Framework and public procurement guidelines, and competitive tendering processes have been operated in respect of all key contracts, including facilitation services, membership recruitment, hotel and conference facilities, audio-visual services, Irish translation, Irish Sign Language translation and media liaison services.

Members of the Expert Advisory Group on the Eighth Amendment received a once-off honorarium payment to a total of €39,500 and members of the Expert Advisory Group for the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality received a once-off honorarium to a total of €34,000 with the exception of one member of the group who, being self-employed, received the payment by way of a fee as well as a modest fee for some additional moderation and research.