Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Government-run canteens operating in Government buildings in his Department and agencies; the number of commercially-run cafes or restaurants that are operating in Government buildings in his Department and agencies; if there is a policy in his Department and agencies to source food locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26405/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that no Government run canteens, commercially run cafes or restaurants are operating in Government buildings in my Department with the exception of the Irish Prisons Service, the Courts Service and An Garda Síochána as set out below.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) operate one Government run canteen at the Irish Prison Service Training Centre, Beladd, Portlaoise. There are twelve commercially run cafés or restaurants operating in IPS buildings: 2 at Wheatfield & Cloverhill Places of Detention, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; 3 at Mountjoy Complex, St Patrick's Institution & Arbour Hill, Dublin 7; 3 at Midlands Prison, Portlaoise Prison and Portlaoise Coffee Shop, Dublin Rd, Portlaoise, Co Laois; 1 at Limerick Prison, Mulgrave Street, Limerick; 1 at Cork Prison, Rathmore Road, Cork ; 1 at Castlerea Prison, Harristown, Co Roscommon; 1 at IPS Headquarters, Longford.

It is the policy of the Irish Prison Service to subject all tenders to the EU Open procedures as described in the European Parliament and the Council Directive 2004/18/EC on the co-ordination of procedures, or the award of public works, public supply and public service contracts, and as set out in SI 329 of 2006 European Communities (Award of Public Authorities' Contracts) Regulations 2006. With regard to sourcing food locally, this is a matter for the contractor appointed to manage the cafés or restaurants.

In relation to the Courts Service: the canteen in Phoenix House is operated under contract from the Courts Service by a catering contractor on a commercial basis and is open to staff and the public; the Public Restaurant at the Four Courts is operated by a catering contractor on a commercial basis under licence from the Office of Public Works; in the Criminal Courts of Justice(CCJ), there is a commercially run cafe - the CCJ is run on the basis of a pubic private partnership (PPP) and the PPP company have subcontracted the provision of this cafe service; and in the Four Courts, the Bar Council operates a canteen/restaurant for barristers on a commercial basis and the Law Society operates a small cafe for legal practitioners on a commercial basis. With regard to sourcing food locally, this is a matter for the contractor appointed to manage the canteens or restaurants.

As it has not been possible to obtain the information requested from An Garda Síochána in the allocated time frame, I will forward this information to the Deputy when it comes to hand.