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

Government policies include the national social enterprise policy, Our Rural Future, the new national rural development policy, A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, and Working to Change: Social Enterprise and Employment Strategy 2021-2023. There is an emphasis in all those policies. The establishment of the strategic procurement advisory group under the auspices of the Office of Government Procurement is another strong indication of the Government's commitment to socially responsible public procurement. The Department of Rural and Community Development is an active member of the group and I will bring that issue up with the group. We are working on the supply side with social enterprises to equip them with the knowledge and skills to access public procurement and on the demand side to encourage greater use of social clauses across government. I agree with the Deputy on these issues.

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