TDs to discuss Auditor's report

The Comptroller and Auditor General's report on consultancies in the Civil Service will be discussed by the Oireachtas Committee on Public Accounts when it meets later this month.

The committee has already fixed June 25th to review the report, which is highly critical of the way in which Government departments employ outside consultants. The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, is obliged to satisfy the committee that any remedial action it deems necessary will be undertaken.

However, a spokeswoman for the Department of Finance said it was unlikely that any new directive would be issued to Government departments regarding consultants. "Any changes are likely to take the form of an updating of existing documents or a review of the tendering process for consultants."

At present, she said, the Department is consulted on the issue only if another department's budget for consultancy work is exceeded.

The Association of Higher Civil Servants welcomed the report, as it bore out its concerns of an "over-reliance" on consultants in Government departments.

Mr Sean O Riordain, general secretary of the association, said: "We have remarked before how you could not go into a department without tripping over a load of consultants. But even we didn't realise how widespread it was.

"In broad terms, there are too many consultants in the Civil Service. It should be structured so that people can rely on their own skills and their own initiative. People in the Civil Service by and large know what they are talking about and don't need consultants to do their job."

He said the Government should ensure the Civil Service is properly skilled and, instead of employing consultants, focus on "home-grown" talent.

Witnesses from various departments, as well as the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, may be called before the Committee on Public Accounts.