Vol. 508 No. 1
501 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Health and Children the total annual tender value for poultry products for each of the eight health boards; and if he will specify the country of origin of these poultry products. [17911/99]
The type of information requested by the Deputy is not collected by or available in my Department. However, I have requested that the chief executive officer of each health board reply directly to the Deputy. The Deputy may be aware that all contracts by publicly funded bodies are subject to competitive tendering to ensure transparency, equity and accountability. There is an onus on each contracting authority to ensure compliance with all the relevant EU directives which are legally binding. One of the key principles of the procurement process is that discrimination does not take place on the basis of nationality.
