Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Higgins. I know she has a particular interest and passion in this area. I have discussed it with her in the Seanad. I thank her for her positive engagement. I also thank her for encouraging people to avail of the opportunity to participate in the recent public consultation on our first ever national public procurement strategy. A lot is happening in this space at EU and national levels. At EU level, there have been indications that the directives on public procurement will be reviewed. It is likely a lot of that may happen on our watch when the EU Presidency comes to Ireland. At an Irish level, we feed into and influence that at an EU level. We are also preparing our first ever public procurement strategy.