John Bruton
Ceist:43 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the total expended by his Department on external consultancies in 1999; the average spent on each engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1717/00]
Written Answers. - Consultancy Contracts.
During 1999, the expenditure on consultancies by my Department amounted to £502,249. This represents expenditure on ten projects or engagements, with an average spend of £50,224.
In addition, a further 21 consultancies were commissioned by the Information Society Commission, the Moriarty tribunal, the National Millennium Committee, the National Economic and Social Council, the National Economic and Social Forum and the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. These costs were met from my Department's Vote, at a total cost of £534,462, that is an average of £25,450 per consultancy.