Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

-----few wanted that title as it had to be common. Let us get off that hook of feeling that if we see it anywhere it is bad per se. I do not believe that.

In terms of the procurement issue, it is important that we enable effective and efficient procurement. What we had to date was significantly inefficient procurement where the taxpayer was paying over the odds across the State for a variety of goods and services, with, as I stated here previously, different agencies of State paying the same company a different price for the same product. That was crazy.

We set out to enable SMEs. From the start, we discussed this with the SME representatives. We held meet-the-buyer workshops across the country to enable SMEs, not only to bid themselves but to construct joint bids for state procurement, not only in Ireland but elsewhere.

Last year 67% of contracts went to SMEs and 92% went to Irish companies. I will do everything I can to sqeeze that migration of money out of the country, which is already small, to a smaller amount but we are obliged to comply with European tendering and competitive law.