Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 April 2014
102. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he has been liaising with the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Social Protection to develop opportunities for long-term unemployed persons and apprentices to work on public construction projects. [15783/14]
View answerResponsibility for public procurement policy, as well as for coordination of the Government's Exchequer Capital Investment Framework, rests with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The 2013 Action Plan for Jobs included a commitment from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to examine the potential for developing an approach for the inclusion of social clauses in suitable procurement contracts (Action 208 of the Action Plan for Jobs 2013).
The Fourth Progress Report on the 2013 Action Plan, which was published in February 2014, indicates that a social clause, requiring that a certain percentage of work be undertaken by those recruited from the ranks of the long-term unemployed and apprentices, was piloted on the Devolved Schools Programme last year. This Programme is administered by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. The full Progress Report on the Action Plan for Jobs for the Fourth Quarter of 2013 is available on my Department's website at: http://www.djei.ie/publications/2013APJ_Fourth_Progress_Report.pdf.
Building on this initiative, the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs (Action 321) includes a commitment to extend the use of social clauses in public works contracts, where appropriate, drawing on the experience of the pilot programme. This action will be delivered by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the NDFA and the National Roads Authority.
My Department works closely with the Department of Public Expenditure and the new Office of Government Procurement on an on-going basis with a view to maximising enterprise and employment opportunities in the public procurement process. My Department is supportive of the initiatives which are being taken to provide opportunities for the long term unemployed and apprentices to work on public construction projects, as outlined above.
