Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 6 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 5

Written Answers. - Departmental Staff.

Jack Wall

Ceist:

84 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons employed in the public private partnership section of his Department; the total cost in terms of salaries and other expenditure; the equivalent figures for the previous two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25799/03]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

The total number of whole-time equivalent, WTE, staff currently employed in the public private partnership unit of my Department stands at 5.5 compared with eight at end 2001 and ten at end 2002. Of these, three are assigned whole-time to PPP work and another five share their time 50-50 between the PPP unit and the national public procurement unit, which was amalgamated with the PPP unit earlier this year. The related annual salary costs are: 2003 –€350,000; 2002 –€570,000; and 2001 –€420,000.

The number of staff assigned to the PPP unit at any one time reflects the nature of work demands. In 2001 the work of the unit concentrated on the development of the initial pilot projects, PPP market development, arrangements for PPP training, the development with the social partners of the framework for PPPs under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness and the preparation of a comprehensive review of structures. Staff numbers rose in 2002 because of the demands of preparing and processing two significant items of legislation, the State Authorities (Public Private Partnership Arrangements) Act and the National Development Finance Agency Act, the development of the communications strategy and the roll-out of PPP regional seminars with the social partners. This year most of the staff are involved in the preparation of the detailed guidance on PPPs and the ongoing work of the interdepartmental group and the public private advisory group – chaired by the director of the unit – and of various working groups and committees on which the unit is represented. I anticipate that numbers of staff in the unit will be reduced next year as the programme of guidance is completed and the activities of the unit diminish.

In addition to the salary costs mentioned, the other principal cost relates to the retention of specialist outside experts for once-off specific assignments. The relevant spend on this in 2001 was €17,332, in 2002 it was €403,566 and the estimate outturn for 2003 is €8,591. As in the case of staff, this expenditure will be largely concluded in 2004.

The European technical assistance programme covers the cost of two staff. In 2003, approximately €113,000 will be financed from TAP sources.