Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 118: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will introduce legislation to ensure that publicly funded projects will only be awarded to companies based here. [38904/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Public procurement regulations which transpose the provisions set out in EU Procurement Directives require that contracts above a certain value must be advertised EU wide and awarded to the most competitive tender in an open and objective process. The aims of the regulations are to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers best value for public money. It would be a breach of the rules for a public body to favour or discriminate against particular candidates on grounds of nationality and there are legal remedies which may be used against any public body infringing these rules.

I would point out that the open market regime affords opportunities for Irish companies to win business abroad as part of the EU Single Market.