Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the introduction of guidelines for Green Public Procurement which promotes slag as the green construction solution for Ireland whereas other EU member States are advising that the functionality should determine procurement strategy on a case basis without advising on material types to be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39306/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Ireland, along with the majority of other Member States, has developed a Green Public Procurement (GPP) Action Plan. The Plan, which I propose to publish next month, is consistent with the principles set out in EC Communication (COM (2008) 400) which defines GPP as "a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured."

The Green Public Procurement Action Plan will not endorse any one product, or product input, over another. Rather, it will set out the various environmental issues to be considered, in addition to the specific functionality requirements, with the aim of reducing the environmental footprint of public procurement.