asked the Minister for the Public Service the reason an increase of 25 per cent is being estimated for consultancy services in his Department for 1986; and the way in which the additional £100,000 will be spent.
Written Answers. - Consultancy Services.
58.
The provision for consultancy services for my Department in 1986 provides for additional consultancy assistance to the Department in their task of improving efficiency and effectiveness in the public service and in the context of the White Paper on the public service "Serving the Country Better". The main areas for which increased expenditure is being provided are the development of computing services, administrative research projects and consultancy for the Civil Service training centre.
59.
asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will give details of the expenditure of £400,000 on consultancy services in 1985; the name of the consultants employed; the number of consultants; the way in which they were recruited; and the number of tenders received for this work.
The estimate provision for consultancy services in 1985 was £400,000. Actual expenditure came to £342,310, made up as follows:
|
£ |
|
|
Administrative research |
111,121 |
|
Civil Service training |
42,761 |
|
Improved service to public |
19,183 |
|
Study on a Government telecommunications network |
84,421 |
|
Planning study of information technology for Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism |
24,621 |
|
Development of the Department's personnel information system |
18,473 |
|
Alcoholism programme |
16,846 |
|
Management services |
13,855 |
|
Miscellaneous |
11,000 |
The names of consultancy firms engaged are mentioned below. It is not possible to state the total number of consultants employed. In most cases it is institutions or firms that are engaged rather than individuals and such organisations assign staff on a full or part time basis, for different phases of projects.
The arrangements for selecting the institutions, firms and individuals concerned vary. For example, administrative research projects are commissioned by the Committee on Administrative Research, normally from the Institute of Public Administration. The Civil Service training centre commissions the Institute of Public Administration to present courses under a standing arrangement. Other consultants are selected on the basis of their specialist knowledge or expertise.
In the case of management and related consultants the selection procedures used by the Department were those set out in the code of practice for Government Departments in employing management consultants: this code provides that in general at least three firms should be invited to put forward proposals for projects. Consultancy firms engaged during the course of the year were James Martin Associates, Stokes Kennedy Crowley, Baltimore Technologies, PA Consulting Services Limited, Market Research Bureau of Ireland and Pro Media. Twenty-nine firms were invited to make proposals in respect of the six assignments for which these firms were engaged and at least three proposals were invited in each case.
60.
asked the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry if he will give details of the expenditure of £25,000 on consultancy services in 1985; the name of the consultants employed; the number of consultants; the way in which these people were recruited; and the number of tenders received for this work.
The expenditure in question was incurred on the continued employment for the year of the firm of consultants, Benson and Associates for public relations work for both the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Gaeltacht. A fee of £23,783 (including VAT) was paid to the consultant plus approved expenses as prescribed by Civil Service regulations. Only one consultant was employed on a contract basis.