Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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202. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps he has taken to incorporate social clauses in public procurement criteria that other European countries have implemented to enable small and medium enterprises to tender for a greater share of procurement contracts, given that he is the lead Minister for the Action Plan for Jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2193/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Policy responsibility for public procurement, including the issue of social clauses rests with my colleague, Minister Brendan Howlin, Minister for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), and is led by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). The OGP, an office under the remit of DPER, set up a number or working groups to improve SME access to public procurement:

- High Level Working Group on SME Access to Procurement;

- SME Working Group; and

- Social Clauses Project Group.

My Department’s officials are closely involved in supporting SME's access to public procurement through their involvement in these groups.

The Social Clauses Project Group was established by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to pro-actively look at projects with a view to including social clauses on a pilot basis, to ensure those awarded contracts contribute to employment or training opportunities for long term unemployed. This is consistent with the whole of Government approach to job creation through the Action Plan for Jobs.