Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2015
603. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied that all ready-mix concrete supplied to local authorities is from plants currently certified to EN206 standard. [25772/15]
View answer604. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied that all ready-mix concrete being used by contractors working on projects being financed either directly or indirectly by his Department is being sourced from ready-mix plants currently certified to EN206 standard. [25773/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 603 and 604 together.
In purchasing goods and services, including ready-mix concrete, local authorities and other bodies under the aegis of my Department are required to comply fully with both national and European Union public procurement rules as set out in guidelines from the Office of Government Procurement within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In this context, the procurement of any goods and services is a matter for the individual contracting authorities.
EN 206-1 Concrete – Part 1: Specification, performance, production is a voluntary European Standard which forms part of a wider group of related construction standards. In Ireland, EN 206-1 contains a national annex which provides guidance applicable to the manufacture of ready-mix concrete for use in the State.
Under EN 206-1, a concrete manufacturer is required to operate a defined conformity control procedure; certification by a third party is not mandatory. Independent identity tests by a specifier’s representative are still provided for, in particular, where third party certification is not in operation. My Department understands that the National Standards Authority of Ireland provides a third party certification service to EN 206-1 and that approximately 161 concrete batching facilities have been certified to this standard in the State.
Ultimately, it is a matter for each individual contracting authority to specify their particular requirements for ready-mix concrete in their tender documents and to take such steps as are appropriate to ensure that those requirements are met.
