Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At this point, and the Deputy has acknowledged this by the information she is both sharing and not sharing here today, it is important to afford due process. If the Deputy has concerns she believes are worthy of investigation, it is important that the relevant bodies are contacted and the information is shared with them. I will simply assure the House that my view is that our procurement practices are conducted in compliance with the law. The OGP, both directly and indirectly, seeks to create an environment in which tendering and procurement processes are carried out in a way that is consistent with best practice to deliver good value for the taxpayer.

There have been several occasions on which the number of companies participating in bidding processes is far lower than we would have wanted or expected, but my strong view is that much of that is due to legitimate and understandable economic circumstances as opposed to anything else. It is the right of the Deputy to raise this matter here today and raise it elsewhere if she feels it is worthy of scrutiny. I can simply offer assurance to the House regarding the conduct of our procurement practices for all but, of course, any serious matter does need to be investigated.

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