Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for her questions. There is a lot in her contribution and I will quickly address each of the points mentioned.

First, significant progress has been made in ensuring that green and climate issues receive a far higher level of profile in procurement discussions. I attribute much of the credit in this regard to the work that the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, has done. He has really looked to drive change in this area.

Also, I make the point that the moment the State begins to have procurement processes with an objective that is no longer about getting the best available price, will open up huge other risks to the State. Any procurement process must have a high level of focus on the price the State will pay for services or projects to be delivered.