Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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170. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government given freedom of information documentation (details supplied) from his Department which shows a meeting between himself and a bidder for contracts for the senior alert scheme while an agency under his Department's remit was deciding on the tenders for those contracts, if this represents a breach of normal procedures in a tendering process, as is indicated in previous correspondence from his Department to bidders for those contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43138/15]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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171. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if it is normal procedure for minutes of meetings to be taken when Ministers meet with bidders for State contracts under the remit of their Departments; why minutes of a meeting between himself and representatives of a company in the process of bidding for contracts under the Senior Alters Scheme were not taken (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43139/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together.

My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. My Department undertook to consider new approaches to the Seniors Alert Scheme in 2014 and arising from this, it was decided that the scheme be managed by Pobal, given that organisation’s significant experience delivering programmes on behalf of Government.

A meeting between Minister Kelly and Deputy Brendan Ryan was scheduled for 10 December 2014, to discuss the Senior Alerts Scheme. While it was not indicated that any other people would be attending the meeting, Deputy Ryan was, in fact, accompanied by two people who were part of a company that had bid in the tender process to establish a panel of preferred suppliers for the equipment needed for the supply and installation of personal monitored alarms, at what I am advised was ultimately a meeting of brief duration in respect of which minutes were not considered necessary.

It is important to note that the assessment of the tenders including the award of contracts under the procurement process concerned was carried out wholly separately by Pobal, an independent company, following a public advertisement on eTenders on 20 October 2014. I am satisfied that this process was conducted in a robust manner consistent with EU and National Procurement Guidelines.