Vol. 382 No. 11
asked the Minister for Social Welfare in relation to the appointment of outside consultants to undertake work for his Department, whether such appointments are made following a public tendering system; if not, the basis on which consultants are so appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
38.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in relation to each of the past three years, he will specify the purpose for which outside consultants were engaged by his Department; the names of the persons and companies so engaged; the fees either paid or payable by the Exchequer; whether he intends to appoint any additional persons to undertake consultancy work in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 38 together.
My Department engage outside consultancy assistance principally to assist in the development of computer systems aimed at modernising service delivery and to provide analysis of specific organisational issues. The costs, terms and conditions of each consultancy appointment relate to the specific requirements for each project or each distinct phase of a project.
The normal Government competitive tendering procedures are followed in most cases. However, circumstances can arise where a limited form of tendering might be applied. This might arise, for example, where only a limited number of consultancy firms are in a position to provide the necessary skills within tight project deadlines. All tenders issued and all contracts placed are subject to the approval of the Department of Finance.
With regard to future consultancy work, my Department are planning several projects but no definitive requirements for consultancy assistance have yet been established. The need for consultancy assistance on any particular project depends on the availability of technical and other staff in my Department, the skill levels required, and the lead development time for the proposed project.
My Department have engaged outside consultants in the last three years details of whom and of their activities are set out in the statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report.
1985
Digital Equipment (Ireland) Ltd.
Customer Support Plan — £98,604.69 — for assistance on software support for all computer systems, including technical support on the efficient use of Digital hardware, software, and software tools.
General Benefits — £174,706.76 — for assistance on the development and implementation of replacement computer systems for General Benefits.
Arthur Andersen & Co.
General Benefits — £64,800 — to provide technical and management assistance on the redesign of General Benefits computer systems.
Pensions — £54,085.36 — for assistance on the design, development and implementation of a computer system for Pensions.
Hardware-Software strategy — £21,000 — to provide an evaluation of the Department's proposed hardware and software strategy having regard to future advances in hardware-software technology.
Craig Gardner & Co
Accounts Branch — £45,920 — for assistance in the development and implementation of a replacement cheque reconciliation system.
Treatment Benefits — £6,500 — for assistance on the redesign of the Treatment Benefits computer system.
Mr. John Blackwell
Statistical work — £900 — for assistance on population projections.
Economic and Social Research Institute
Survey work — £12,000 — for a survey on occupational pension schemes.
Ms. Catherine McNamara
Advisory role — £4,902 — to provide general advice to a former Minister for Social Welfare.
1986
Prism Computing Ltd.
Treatment Benefits — £29,273.60 — to provide detailed design and programming assistance on the Treatment Benefits computer project.
Unemployment Benefit/Assistance — £4,000 — to provide assistance on the development of the unemployment payments system.
Craig Gardner & Co.
Treatment Benefits — £38,823 — to assist with analysis, design and project management of the Treatment Benefits computer system.
Security Review of Payment Systems (Phase 1) — £77,230 — in connection with the security review of the major payment systems.
Cheque Reconciliation — £437 — for expenses in connection with the implementation of the Department's cheque reconciliation system.
Digital Equipment (Ireland) Ltd.
Disability Benefits — £41,760 — for assistance on the conversion of the batch processing system to run on VAX computers.
Customer Support Plan — £132,021.26 — for technical support on the efficient use of Digital hardware, software and software tools.
Arthur Andersen & Co.
Central Records — £16,000 to conduct a strategic feasibility study on the redesign of the Central Records System.
System Dynamics Ltd.
"Free Schemes"— £47,705 — to assist with the development of a computer system to process claims for Free Travel, Free Telephone Allowance, etc.
Creative Accounting Systems Ltd.
Accounts Branch — £5,000 — to amend existing software to cater for input to the Department's new cheque reconciliation system.
Learmonth and Burchett Management Systems Ltd.
Training/Standards — £65,631.86 — on training and on the introduction of development techniques and standards for the Computer Division.
Market Research Bureau of Ireland Ltd.
Client Survey — £8,825 — for a joint survey with the former Department of the Public Service on the attitude of the public to the service being provided by various public service agencies including the Department of Social Welfare.
Economic and Social Research Institute.
Survey work — £5,550 — for a survey on occupational Sick-pay Schemes.
Ms. Catherine Mc Namara.
Advisory role — £1,471.59 — to provide general advice to a former Minister for Social Welfare.
Irish Productivity Centre.
Programme evaluation — £4,000 — to carry out an evaluation of Pilot Schemes for the Unemployed.
1987
Arthur Andersen & Co.
Book Security Enhancement — £216,375 — to assist in the development of a modernised book issue system for Pensions, Child Benefit, and Family Income Supplement payments.
Central Records study — £30,700 — to complete the strategic feasibility study on the development and implementation of a new Central Records System which commenced in 1986.
Telecommunications Network — £10,000 — to review the Department's network strategy.
Cara Data Processing Ltd.
Telecommunications Network — £6,000 — to provide technical assistance and advice on the installation of telecommunications equipment.
Walsh Public Relations Ltd.
Public Relations — £8,300 — to provide public relations advice on various issues.
Online Computing Ltd.
Software Research — £6,708 — to provide assistance on the application and implementation of a text retrieval software package.
Craig Gardner & Co.
Security Review of Payment Systems (Phase 2) — £172,018 — this was a continuation of work commenced in 1986 on the detailed review of the disability and unemployment payment systems to establish where they are most at risk, and to advise on the most cost effective measures to keep these risks to a minimum. The consultants also provided assistance in a review of the Department's prosecution policy and procedures and assistance on researching and developing the approach to estimating the level of fraud/abuse.
Treatment Benefits — £4,012 — to assist in the implementation of the Treatment Benefits computer system.
Learmonth & Burchett Management Systems Ltd.
Training/Standards — £44,941 — on training and the introduction of development techniques and standards for the Computer Division.
Prism Computing Ltd.
Treatment Benefits — £14,529 — for work on the development and implementation of the Treatment Benefits computer system.
System Dynamics Ltd.
"Free Schemes" computer system — £58,351 — to complete the development of the computer system to cater for the processing of claims for Free Travel, Free Telephone Allowance, etc. which commenced in 1986.
Irish Productivity Centre
Programme evaluation — £8,450 — to carry out an evaluation of Pilot Schemes for the Unemployed.
This is a matter that concerns me greatly, and not in relation to this Department only. I am pleased to hear the Minister say that in all cases where consultants were employed a public tendering system of one kind or another was put in place. Was that the case in relation to the Craig Gardner consultants? Were other firms invited to make submissions about doing the consultancy work for the Department?
That was before my time as Minister, but I understand the normal procedures were observed in that case. They may have been asked to carry on as a result of some work they had done earlier. It was only in that sense that something exceptional might arise but that would be very rare and the work would have to be directly related to something they had done previously.
It is extremely important that when we are paying out public moneys to outside bodies we are seen to do it on a fair basis so that everybody is seen to have a chance to compete. I know that is not the situation with many Government Departments. I would ask the Minister to assure the House that in all cases where outside consultants are being employed by his Department it would be opened up to everybody who is capable of doing the work.
I am quite happy to give that assurance. The Deputy will find in the list a whole variety of people who have done work.
