Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on proposals made by a group (details supplied) for the inclusion of corporate responsibility in terms of ethics and social concern as a criterion in the award of public procurement tenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13522/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am satisfied that the existing procedures used by public authorities in awarding contracts adequately reflect the general issues of ethics and social concern raised by the Deputy.

EU Treaties and Public Procurement Directives stipulate that the core principles which must be observed in the award of public contracts are openness, competition and non-discrimination. Consistent to these principles, contracting authorities have discretion to specify where appropriate, that certain social and environmental criteria be met where these are related to the subject of the contracts. In transposing the Public Procurement Directives into Irish law we have allowed (i) that contracting authorities may prescribe that certain environmental and social conditions be observed in the performance of a contract; (ii) that, as agreed under Towards 2016, public contracts must comply with Irish employment law generally including the national minimum wage and Registered Employment Agreements in force; and (iii) that contracting authorities may reserve contracts for sheltered workshops or participants in sheltered employment programmes.

Guidance for contracting authorities on how these considerations may be taken into account in a manner consistent with obligations under public procurement rules is published on the national public procurement website www.etenders.gov.ie.