Departmental Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 November 2010

Thursday, 4 November 2010

Ceisteanna (210)

Brian Hayes

Ceist:

210 Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport if she will provide an itemised list of payments made to external solicitors and to external barristers whose services were procured directly by the Department and by each agency and body under its aegis in the years 2007, 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010; the reason for each such procurement; if such services were procured through competitive tendering processes in every instance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40946/10]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport (Deputy Mary Hanafin)

In general, whenever the Department requires legal services it obtains these from the Office of the Attorney General and/ or the Office of the Chief State Solicitor. Any associated fee costs are borne directly by those two Offices. However, on occasion and in exceptional circumstances the Department, including the National Archives, may obtain legal services from other sources. These are set out in the table for the period in question.

Year	Name of Solicitor or Barrister	Amount paid	Reason	Competitive Tendering Process
		€
2007	Nil
2008	Nil
2009	McCann Fitzgerald	4,860.00	State aid issues (Cultural Institutions)	No
2010	McCann Fitzgerald	883.30	Advice on Arts and Culture Enhancement Support Scheme	No

In the case of agencies and bodies under the aegis of the Department the securing of external legal services and the associated fee costs are a matter for the agencies and bodies themselves.