Ms Rowena Dwyer:

We view green public procurement in certain sectors, in particular the construction sector, as important for driving behaviour and creating opportunities. That is a positive. We support our companies across a range of areas, but as Ireland sets its new green procurement standards, it is important that the needs of SMEs are identified by stakeholders like ourselves and that we work with companies. The Deputy spoke about scoring and opportunities for innovative companies so that, where some of the barriers in public procurement around size, history and so on are concerned, a balance is found between what innovations the companies can bring and the more standardised procurement pieces. We have a great deal of knowledge in this regard from working with companies and identifying SMEs' needs and challenges in public procurement contracts.

The UK is very far ahead in terms of its green public procurement rules. Our companies have been in a position to respond to those and realise opportunities. We have made inputs into consultations on, and the development of, those public procurement rules through our UK office. That is a key link for us in knowing what our SMEs are capable of and what the challenges are in public procurement. As green public procurement becomes a driver of change, we can pass this message through to our companies so that they are in a position to compete for contracts.