Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I fully understand the Deputy's point of view, particularly where it relates to a multiplicity of suppliers, for example, in the area of stationery provision.

This issue, among others, will be discussed at the meeting on 28 January between the Department and the national procurement service. It is different from electricity or energy suppliers, of which there are, perhaps, only one or two providers in the first instance.

I have no difficulty with what the Deputy has just articulated, namely, that where the procurement service sets the going rate for the cost of a particular commodity at X and that commodity is a multiple use type commodity, such as extra supplies of stationery, and a local school can demonstrate that it can purchase that commodity locally at the same rate or lower, then it should not be compelled to use the centralised facility. The purpose of this is to ensure efficiency in the cost of procurement rather than the allocation of the contract to a particular provider of the service.

We will no doubt come back to this topic as I have received the type of representations articulated by the Deputy. The picture will become clearer after 28 January. On the principle of a benchmark price being set for a commodity regularly used by the education system and that price being met by an alternative supplier who is providing employment in the locality, I do not believe anybody could argue with that.

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