Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 September 2014
1572. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the tender about to be agreed by the Dublin councils for the purchase of library books from a UK company contravenes circular 10/14 from his Department and more generally the imperative to protect jobs here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29619/14]
View answerThe provision of public library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority, under Section 78 of the Local Government Act 2001. This includes the procurement of books and other services and my Department does not have a direct role in these matters.
Opportunities for All, A Strategy for Public Libraries 2013-2017 provides for the development of a policy for shared acquisitions for libraries, including a national acquisitions consortium for public library print and electronic resources that maximises the cost-effectiveness of expenditure, increases purchasing power and gets the best choice of material to the user in line with government policy.
The Programme for Government identified the role public procurement can play as an instrument to support innovation and allow greater access for SMEs, including micro-enterprises, to the public sector market. As part of the Public Service Reform Plan, the Government established the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) to drive a new consolidated and integrated approach to public procurement. The OGP is committed to ensuring that SMEs are fully engaged with public sector procurement and the opportunities presenting. In this context, measures aimed at facilitating SME participation in public procurement were updated and strengthened in order to reinforce their application across the public sector. In April 2014, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issued Circular 10/14: Initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement, and this has been brought to the notice of local authorities for implementation in the local authority sector, including in the tender referred to.
The guidance in this circular is in line with EU policy on increased SME participation in public procurement. The guidance is to be implemented by buyers in accordance with the principles of EU law, and in a manner that is fully compliant with EU public procurement law and national guidelines. All public sector procurement contracts within the EU, irrespective of value, are covered by the principles set out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union of non-discrimination, equal treatment, proportionality and transparency. These requirements do not exclude Irish companies from tendering for such contracts.
