Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply and for indicating a willingness to look at what can be done to secure best outcomes from an Irish perspective. Will he look at Irish labour law issues in regard to the procurement of materials and services and at health and safety issues? To be more specific, there are instances of substantial concern in regard to the procurement of produce by a number of State agencies, including the HSE and our hospitals network. There is a question mark over poultry. In many cases, restaurants can tell one the farm on which poultry is produced but I warrant that is not the case with our health service and this creates great concern. There are also real concerns in the catering sector.

I do not expect we will get the answers to everything here but will the Taoiseach indicate a willingness to explore these matters because it is about more than securing greater opportunity for Irish suppliers? There is a concern in terms of labour law and health and safety among people of disparate opinion with whom I have discussed these matters.

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