I propose to take Questions Nos. 668 and 669 together.
In the period 1 March 2011 to 7 September 2012 a total of €119,271 was spent on food and drink by my Department as outlined in the following table.
|
Type of Expense
|
Amount (€)
|
|
Beverages (Official Entertainment)
|
585
|
|
Lunches (Official Entertainment)
|
1,409
|
|
Refreshments/lunches provided at training courses
|
16,952
|
|
Catering Services/Supplies
|
99,379
|
|
Beverages (Customer Service Conference Expenses)
|
946
|
|
Total:
|
119,271
|
Beverages and lunches (Official entertainment) includes lunches and refreshments provided at various functions hosted by the Minister and other departmental officials. The policy for entertainment allowances is governed by the Department of Finance circular 25/2000. Refreshments/lunches provided at training courses mainly relate to the purchase of refreshments and catering supplies for the provision of tea, coffee, biscuits, etc. by the Department’s Staff Development Units for training courses. Lunches were also provided at a small number of training courses. Catering Services/Supplies refers to tea, coffee and biscuits provided at various departmental meetings. Beverages (Customer Service Conference Expenses) relates to refreshments provided at Customer Focus/Services Group meetings.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Social Protection employs more staff than any other Department. There were 7,011 people employed in the Department on 31 July 2012. The Department is also a very diverse organisation both in terms of the wide range of services it provides and in terms of the large number of locations at which it provides services. It operates out of almost 1,000 locations nationally, including 12 headquarters in Dublin and 10 decentralised locations outside Dublin, 66 local offices and it provides services at some 897 other locations throughout the State. This large scale and diversity necessitates a significant commitment to meetings, training and other interactions between staff and is also reflected in the incidental expenses associated with such interactions. For example, the food costs set out above in relation to training were incurred in the context of providing 7,513 training days from 1 March 2011 to 7 September 2012. This is an average of €2.26 per training day.
