asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will recommend to Córas Iompair Éireann and other subsidised companies to invite tenders for uniforms and other requirements on a regional or provincial basis so as to give a wider and more even distribution of employment, thereby helping decentralisation and ensuring more open competition by giving small manufacturers an opportunity for tendering within their capacity.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Córas Iompair Éireann Contracts.
I am satisfied that the best interests of the community as a whole are met by the system of competitive tendering, at present adopted by Córas Iompair Éireann and other subsidised companies, in seeking their requirements of uniforms and other items, and I am not, therefore, prepared to recommend any departure from this system.