Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 198: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he is satisfied that procurement procedures by his Department and by local authorities are in line with The Green Procurement Interpretative Communication of July 2001 of EU Directives (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31086/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Public Procurement Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC adopted on 31 March 2004 supersede those referred to in the Question. The circumstances under which tender specifications and award criteria may take account of environmental considerations are set out in these Directives which were brought to the attention of local authorities by circular letter issued by my Department in August 2004. My Department will be writing to all local authorities shortly pointing out again that these Procurement Directives enable environmentally friendly considerations to be taken into account during procurement.

The EU Handbook on Green Procurement, published by the European Commission, is available to all staff in my Department involved in procurement. In addition, internal departmental guidelines require all general contracts over €25,000 and all consultancy contracts, regardless of cost, to be reported to my Department's Organisation Unit, which undertakes a process audit of the procurement prior to award of contract; environmental considerations are part of this process audit.