Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Let that also be noted.

I will not delay the meeting. All of my questions revolve around the area of procurement and perhaps I should address them to Mr. Quinn, but I will let the Secretary General decide who should respond.

On the Order of Business today, I raised the issue of the new directive on public procurement which was agreed approximately three months ago. I am aware the State has yet to bring forward the enabling legislation, but is there a sense of urgency in regard to bringing this forward? The Department is probably aware that under the current regime, many small and medium-sized enterprises are, essentially, locked out of the procurement process. The new directive, with its focus on social benefit and on loosening up the regime and making it more comprehensive is welcome. This committee has received a submission from the Irish School Arts Supply Federation, some of whose members are here in the public gallery. They are very welcome.

Having made the general point regarding the directive and the procurement regime, I want to speak now about the small and medium-sized enterprise sector in particular. The group represented here today is representative of 70 micro businesses. The group here is in the business of supplying stationery and supplies to schools. Everybody understands the imperative of efficiency and cost savings and we will take this as a given. However, under the new regime, these enterprises find themselves in a difficult situation, one that many believe could endanger their existence. Will Mr. Watt explain to us the use of aggregate contracts for products and services, particularly in regard to this area?