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The frontpage of one volume of the report Screengrab

Over €72k spent on report evaluating Ireland's economic relationship with UK

The report by the PA Consulting Group cost a total of €144,988.96 with the other half the cost shared with the UK government.

OVER €72,000 WAS spent on a report evaluating the economic relationship between Ireland and the UK that was published this week, new figures show.

Figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade show that the State paid €72,494.48 or 50 per cent of the total cost of the report which urged the two countries to enhance their level of cooperation in several areas including travel, energy and agribusiness.

The report by the PA Consulting Group cost a total of €144,988.96 with half of the cost shared with the UK government. The two volume report totals just under 200 pages and took around seven months to complete.

Its cost was disclosed by the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore in answer to parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins this week. Gilmore also disclosed the cost of several other consultants’ reports.

These include over €12,000 spent on an evaluation of Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation and nearly €17,000 on a mid-term progress report on Ireland’s action plan for the UN Security Council resolution on gender equality and gender-based violence.

These reports were commissioned under the department’s budget for foreign affairs and trade. Nearly 20 other reports were commissioned under its budget for international cooperation between April 2011 and April of this year.

These reports, commissioned over the last two years, cost over €311,000 and examined various Irish Aid programmes as well as the overall policies and procedures of the State’s aid packages.

“The Department commissions external expertise where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and particularly where ongoing independent evaluation of programmes and projects is required,” Gilmore said in his written answer this week.

“During the course of their engagements these consultants/experts may prepare reports and other documentation for the Department.

“In-depth analysis of issues by external experts has informed – and continues to inform – my Department’s policies, allowing for more targeted use of resources and greater accountability in the allocation of budgets.”

The report on the UK and Ireland’s economic relationship was the most expensive commissioned by the Department in the last two years.

Read: Ireland and the UK are planning closer economic cooperation

More: The Irish government is giving €2.5m for the humanitarian crisis in Mali

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34 Comments
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    Mute Conor Conneally
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    Jul 20th 2013, 7:59 AM

    These sort of reports are always quite interesting. The economic relationship with the UK is a core part of the Irish economy. It’s not a waste but a rather important document. It will be interesting to read the reports findings

    73
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    Mute Dave Burson
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    Jul 20th 2013, 7:55 AM

    Country’s government commissions report on economic relationship with the nations largest trade partner. Other nation pays half the cost. Shocking stuff.

    73
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    Mute David Giles
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    Jul 20th 2013, 8:37 AM

    In my view this was money well spent. Ireland’s trading relationship with the UK is of paramount importance and affects practically every aspect of economic life. Irish exports to the UK sustain hundreds of thousands of Irish jobs in agriculture, food production, pharmaceuticals, services, information technology etc and could sustain hundreds of thousands more. British supermarkets are full of Irish products and could be full of more. Budgens, my local shop,owned by Musgraves of Cork ,
    stocks Clonakilty black and white pudding and many items from the SuperValue range.

    The proposal to introduce a visa waiver scheme for foreign nationals so if they have a UK or an Irish visa, they can then use that visa to visit the other jurisdiction could bring in many hundreds of millions of euros from Chinese and other visitors to the UK who then would not need visa to visit Ireland. That alone would pay for the report thousands of times over. The Chinese are now the world’s biggest spending tourists overall.

    61
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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:14 AM

    I really do beg that you stop this tabloidy angle shite, should the main focus of this story not be the content and recommendations of this report rather than its price. €72,000 is pittance.

    28
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    Mute Martin Healy
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    Jul 20th 2013, 9:13 AM

    Money well spent I would have thought.

    23
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    Mute Denzil
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    Jul 20th 2013, 7:50 AM

    More waste , is this not common sense already we’ve been trading with the uk since the foundation of the state their out biggest export market

    19
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    Mute Andrew Telford
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    Jul 20th 2013, 8:05 AM

    Well… By commissioning and examining a report one would assume that they are looking for opportunities to increase trade. Since its in the 10′s of billions already even a fraction of a percent uplift would net countries hundred of millions boost to GDP.

    You’re proposing the money is better spent cutting your taxes or boosting your benefits both of which go straight into the beer fund.

    54
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    Mute mattoid
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    Jul 20th 2013, 8:19 AM

    If it ends up on a shelf gathering dust its a pure waste.

    If its fully implemented it could be bargain of the century.

    26
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:57 AM

    In future Denzil they should look to your wisdom and street smarts and not bother with facts or evidence.

    Any chance you were an economic adviser to Bertie Ahern.

    “Everyone knows house prices always go up, its common sense.”

    7
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    Mute Gez
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    Jul 20th 2013, 8:41 AM

    This is not a story in the big scheme of things, but hopefully there is point to it be it be commissioned.

    13
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    Mute Gez
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:02 AM

    …being commissioned. Apologies typo police!

    3
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Jul 20th 2013, 1:03 PM

    What, and the rest is ok?

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    Mute Gez
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    Jul 20th 2013, 8:36 PM

    Sorry Little Jim.

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    Mute StephenEganPolitics
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    Jul 20th 2013, 8:16 AM

    Issue is ..have they been correctly charged out for work done. Also how was contract awarded ? Transparency etc.
    Governing based on ignorance is much more costly.

    13
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:51 AM

    The only story here is that it was done for such a good cost.

    8
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    Mute BadDrivingIreland
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    Jul 20th 2013, 7:56 AM

    Another waste of money thanks.

    6
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:55 AM

    How is it even remotely a waste of money??

    5
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    Mute Joe Soap
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    Jul 20th 2013, 11:21 AM

    That seems pretty cheap to me for such an important report with our most important neighbour. Stick to tribunals and government salaries if you want to shock us with over-expenditure within the state.

    6
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    Mute AICS (Steve Tracey)
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:21 AM

    Thinking just in the realm of tourism, if the visa restrictions are lifted this should enable tour organisers to offer say a 14 day trip with 10 in one country and 4 in another. Whether this be a coach tour (ferry connections are excellent, not talking about on board service Irish Ferries – not good at all, that’s another story). Flights from any of the many airports in both countries.
    Could be a huge boost for Irish economy more so than UK (which doesn’t get many Hank Bradshaw and family coming to visit Yorkshire because his Great – grandpappy came from there) by which what I’m saying is tourism in Ireland is or could be a larger industry than it is in the UK

    4
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    Mute itiswhatitis1
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    Jul 20th 2013, 9:31 AM

    Someone just rode the government well.

    4
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    Mute Larry T Bird
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    Jul 20th 2013, 9:51 AM

    You are obviously very familiar with the whole area of economic consultants reports and the process of open tendering for Governmemt contracts to make a statement like that.

    Could you explain a bit more to us please

    9
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:52 AM

    Not even remotely.

    Sure de spent a fiver on it, 5 euro sure dat would have paid for a one half of a pot hole to be filled, dere all the same, poor me, poor me.

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    Mute TheIrishBrain
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:55 AM

    You don’t need to be an economic consultants to know €72,000 on a report to determine how important the UK is to the Irish economy.Common sense or a quick look at export figures will tell you this and that’s all free but in short supply under Kenny dictatorial reign.

    7
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 11:24 AM

    Go to get investment in a business and quote commonsense or say it is commonsense and see how many seconds before you are banged out the door.

    Commonsense is often very wrong or missing out on new opportunities. It is just common sense to investigate and report on things like this.

    5
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    Mute TheIrishBrain
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    Jul 20th 2013, 5:07 PM

    In my opinion Its a lack of common sense that results in comments like that.

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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Jul 20th 2013, 11:19 AM

    What I never understand about these sort of reports is this:
    We have a bloated civil service. They are supposed to be educated and knoeledgable. Thus why cant the related department put these reports together!??
    If the answer is that they dont have the expertise,then the question must be why are they there in the first place then!??

    4
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    Mute ripedoffagain
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    Jul 20th 2013, 7:51 AM

    I give up , JUST GET ON WITH IT …….FFS

    3
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 10:54 AM

    Didn’t take much for you to quit!

    The poor me rubbish is sickening.

    5
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    Mute Dylan_Phone
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    Jul 20th 2013, 11:26 AM

    Given the heat is it any surprise that you are riped off. Make jam! ;)

    2
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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Jul 20th 2013, 5:30 PM

    The country with 4.5 million people pays half the cost of the report. The country with 63 million people pays the other half.
    Eh, fair enough, wouldn’t you say?

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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Jul 20th 2013, 5:33 PM

    That in itself is a pretty fair evaluation of our economic relationship.

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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Jul 20th 2013, 5:39 PM

    Need I say it? The PA Consulting Group is Headquartered in London.

    2
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    Mute Bernard Cantillon
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    Jul 20th 2013, 4:20 PM

    How is this news? I would expect the government to commission research into all sorts of issues. Governing without knowledge is misgovernment. So called commonsense as alluded to by others is often not very sensible at all, particularly when applied to complex topics like international trade. This seems like good value, considering the importance of trade with the UK to Ireland. These constant reports on the cost of everything without any analysis of their actual value is feeding the stupid trolls who arrive on this and every other forum demanding that the government spend everything on day to day expenses or tax less (or sometimes for the sake of pure economic ignorance, give tax breaks and increase spending simultaneously)

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    Mute Paul Brophy
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    Jul 20th 2013, 1:21 PM

    We trade in graduates and skilled labour!!

    1
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