1759. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent by each of the local authorities on consultants in the past five years; and if he will provide a breakdown by county. [57795/26]

The information sought is not available in my Department, as my Department does not maintain a central record of expenditure on consultancy services by local authorities.

Under the Local Government Act 2001, local authorities are independent bodies with responsibility for the management of their own day-to-day operational and financial matters, including the procurement and engagement of consultancy services.

The relevant local authorities may be contacted directly for further information.