asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of industrial consultant firms which are operating in this country; if he will outline the nature of any complaints received by his Department regarding the operations of any of these consultant firms; and whether he considers it necessary to introduce legislation to safeguard Irish firms in view of these complaints.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Consultants.
58.
I am not in a position to state the number of industrial consultant firms operating here. Industrial consultants come to my notice only when firms employing them apply to my Department for grant assistance under the Technical Assistance Grant Scheme.
Since the inception of the scheme, approximately 100 firms of consultants, Irish and foreign, have, at one time or another, carried out consultancy projects for which grants have been provided.
So far as consultancy projects are concerned, this scheme operates on the basis that the applicant firm is in the best position to decide on its requirements and to employ the consultants which, in its considered opinion, are competent to meet these requirements. The experience to date has been that very few complaints about the efficiency of consultants work have been received and, even in such cases, it is not possible to say, with certainty, that the fault lay solely with the consultant firm. I do not consider that it is necessary to have legislation on the lines suggested by the Deputy.