Mr. A.J. Noonan:

Ms Fleming made the point that the Welsh and Scottish models are working well for communities in those countries. The social element is very important in that. Notwithstanding Deputy Perry's point about centralised distribution, there are still many opportunities for small businesses in this country. We have spoken before about examining what local authorities spend in their communities and encouraging them to target expenditure locally. A target should be set for them in this regard, perhaps something like 75%. If a school principal, say, has to go to six different suppliers to get six different products, that is pure madness and creates many difficulties.

We have come to the conclusion during our discussions that we are very close to a situation where the Office of Government Procurement is simply not fit for purpose. We are getting to that stage. The experience of Ms Gibson, Mr. Martin and people like them is that the office is not doing its job in the way it should be doing it. It is supposed to be looking after our country by delivering good quality products for the public service. In my view, it is not doing that.