Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As she will be aware, responsibility for public procurement lies with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth. However, socially responsible public procurement is a whole-of-government priority. It is critical that public funds are used for the maximum benefit of society. Social clauses can also play an important role in rural development.

Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future, includes a commitment to “expand the use of socially responsible public procurement contracts, where feasible, which will incentivise the engagement of social enterprises and Circular Economy organisations”. The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future also contains a number of commitments in this area including a commitment to optimise the community benefit of products and services procured by the State.

My Department is leading by example in the use of social clauses by, for instance, including such clauses in the procurement of sensory room facilities in public libraries. To fulfil one of the commitments of the national social enterprise policy, my Department also participates actively in the Office of Government Procurement's strategic procurement advisory group to help policy makers better understand how procurement can be used to advance social policy objectives. Finally, the Department of Justice's social enterprise and employment strategy, Working to Change, also sets a target for 10% of all criminal justice system procurement contracts to include social considerations by the end of 2023.

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