Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose we have a debate on the issue of public procurement and how difficult, regimented and how tight it is and how very much cost-based it is. We all know from getting work done in our own homes that sometimes the cheapest is not always the best. What concerns me is that there is only a small percentage in any contract set aside for quality of work - workmanship, track record and so on - whereas the bulk of it is on price. Price is absolutely important but the one thing I have found in recent years, and I am sure the Deputy Leader finds the same, is the number of public works that are taking forever to conclude. A streetscape project in County Clare recently went on for over two years. There is always a reason these things are delayed. Something is found, cables had to be put in when they dug up the ground or there was more there than what they had anticipated. I am thinking of the street project in Ennis. There is no doubt that the streets in Ennis look lovely since it has been concluded but the problem is it took two to three years to finish it and businesses faced enormous pressure during that period. On rates, I note the rates went up 8% in Ennis this year. However, there was no real embracing of businesses during this project. My fear is that some businesses did not survive and that was probably one of the reasons. In general, we need to talk about the time it takes to do these works and examine the contracts to see if there is a better and more timely way of doing them. In my home town of Ennistymon, a €1.5 million upgrade on footpaths is being proposed on the streets. Ennistymon is doing exceptionally well at the moment as a town and has huge potential to do even better. My fear is that these works will go on far longer than anticipated. I call on a debate for this issue but I am particularly calling on Clare County Council to make sure these works are done in a timely manner to respect small business, which struggle with the increase in costs.