Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if it is compulsory on Government tendered projects, such as group water schemes, for workers pensions schemes to be taken out exclusively through the CIF. [32780/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Pension requirements for construction employees are outlined in the Registered Employment Agreement (Construction Industry Pensions Assurance and Sick Pay) Variation Order (No. 2), 2006 which is legally binding on all employers in the Construction Industry. A copy of this agreement is available on the website of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (www.entemp.ie).

Public procurement guidelines issued by the Department of Finance require contracting authorities to ensure that tenderers for public infrastructure projects have regard to all statutory obligations relating to minimum pay and other conditions of employment (including the pensions and sick pay provisions specified under the above Registered Employment Agreement) when submitting tenders and that tender documents should have an appropriate reference to this. It is not mandatory for tenderers to be members of the Construction Workers Pension Scheme operated by the Construction Industry Federation. Contracting authorities generally accept tenders which demonstrate that the tenderer's employees are covered by a pension and sick pay scheme with terms equivalent to those specified in the above-mentioned Registered Employment Agreement.