asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he has laid down, or is now prepared to lay down, for guidance of local authorities making contracts, any general rule as to percentage of preference such local authorities may allow to Saorstát contractors as against contractors residing, or having their factories or places of business outside the Saorstát, so that the members of such local authorities shall not afterwards be liable to surcharge by the Auditor for giving a preference to Saorstát manufacturers or contractors.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Saorstát Contracts.
I do not consider it feasible to make a general rule as to the extent of preference which local authorities may allow to Saorstát contractors and manufacturers as against others. Every reasonable encouragement is given to local authorities to support Irish manufacture and Irish firms. On each page of the 137 pages devoted to prices and specifications in the current issue of the List of Official Contractors to local authorities, the words "Support Irish Manufacture" is printed in large lettering. There is no obligation on a local authority to accept the lowest tender for any commodity or work where good reasons exist for an alternative course and no case has come under my notice of any surcharge of the type suggested by the Deputy.
Will the Minister say on how many occasions his Department has written to local authorities asking for explanations as to why they did not accept the lowest tender?
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he will state the number and estimated value of any contracts for building, road making or repairing and other similar purposes placed by local authorities of the Saorstát, during the last twelve months, with (a) contractors whose headquarters or principal offices are situated in Northern Ireland, and (b) contractors whose headquarters or principal offices are situated in England.
As far as I am aware, the only case, as regards housing, coming within the terms of the Deputy's question is the tender of the Housing Corporation of Great Britain to the Dublin City Commissioners for the erection of 179 houses at Donnycarney for £67,086. As regards roads, the following are the particulars asked for, as far as can be ascertained at the moment: (a) Northern Ireland—Number of contracts, 3; value, £11,927; (b) England — No. of contracts, none; value, none.
Is the Minister aware that Local Authorities in the Six Counties are debarred from giving contracts to firms within the Saorstát?
I have no information upon that point.
Will the Minister make inquiries in regard to it?
I should be glad to receive any definite information the Deputy may think it worth while to send me.
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if, in the forms of contract approved by his Department for use by local authorities, clauses are included stating that Irish materials must be used or that a specified preference must be given to Irish materials when contracts are being made by local authorities of the Saorstát for the building of houses, the making or repairing of roads, the carrying out of schemes of drainage, sewage disposal, or water supply, or other such schemes of improvement, and if no such clause or clauses are now included in such approved forms of contract, whether he will consider the advisability of having such clause or clauses inserted in future.
Such clauses are not and could not be included generally in contracts because
(a) materials are in some cases not produced in An Saorstát, and
(b) the extent of preference to be allowed must be a matter to be decided by the local authority in the presence of all the facts of the transactions under consideration.
There are no approved forms of contract. An outline housing specification is, however, in use for the guidance of both private persons and local authorities. It provides that all materials, where possible and practicable, are to be of Irish manufacture or origin.
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he has laid down any general rule for the guidance of local authorities who make contracts with outside contractors for the building of houses or the making or repairing of roads, as to the insertion of a clause or clauses in such forms of contract making it imperative on such outside contractors to employ a certain percentage of Saorstát labour on the carrying out of such contracts, and if he has laid down any such rule, if he will state its nature.
As far as housing contracts are concerned the matter raised by the Deputy is usually covered by a clause in all large contracts of local authorities requiring the employment of local labour.
As regards road contracts, clause 11 of the "General Conditions of Contract" stipulates that the contractor shall employ local labour to the extent of not less than 80 per cent. of the men employed.