Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2015
260. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the progress that has been made by the interdepartmental group on social enterprise and the Office of Government Procurement in examining the scope for including social impact clauses in public procurement procedures. [5787/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraPolicy responsibility for public procurement is a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, T.D. The Office of Government Procurement falls under Minister Howlin’s remit.
Last year, Minister Howlin announced the establishment of a Project Group to identify suitable policy priorities to be addressed through the insertion of social clauses in public contracts. The objective is that the use of social clauses in appropriate projects could, for example, contribute to employment or training opportunities for the long term unemployed while mitigating the risk of displacing existing workers.
Further queries on the work of the Social Clauses Project Group would be best addressed to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. However, my understanding is that the Inter-Departmental Group on Social Enterprise has not made a formal submission to the Office of Government Procurement regarding the inclusion of social impact clauses in public procurement contracts.
Secretariat support to the Inter-Departmental Group on Social Enterprise is provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
