Vol. 237 No. 9
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the total cost to State and the semi-State companies, for which he is responsible, of the engagement of the consultancy firm of Arthur D. Little; and whether that firm was paid in sterling or in dollars.
132.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if any of the semi-State companies for which he is responsible employed the consultancy firm of Arthur D. Little more than once; and if any or all of these companies propose to engage this firm or any other consultancy firm in the future.
133.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will give details of the benefits which accrued to the semi-State companies for which he is responsible because of the engagement of the consultancy firm of Arthur D. Little.
With your permission, A Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 131, 132 and 133 together.
The bodies under my aegis which engaged the services of the Arthur D. Little Inc. were the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards, the Industrial Development Authority and Ceimicí Teoranta. The total cost was £66,000 of which the State bore £51,825. The equivalent of £30,000 was paid in dollars and the balance in sterling.
None of the bodies employed these consultants more than once but the Industrial Development Authority and Ceimicí Teoranta each engaged them on two assignments.
It is the policy of these bodies to engage the services of industrial consultants as and when required. It is not, of course, their intention to confine themselves to engaging any one firm of consultants. None of the bodies has any present proposal to engage consultants.
Briefly the benefits which accrued to the bodies concerned were:
(a) The report of the consultants assisted the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards in a review of their activities after a period of very rapid expansion and also in the drawing up of a five-year plan of future activities.
(b) The reports furnished by the consultants to the IDA form the basis of the review of industrial development policy currently in hand. Effect will be given to findings of this review in legislation to be introduced in the near future.
(c) Work on the two assignments for Ceimicí Teoranta has not yet been completed and it is too early yet to assess what benefits may accrue.
