Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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220. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the national tender for public library services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29355/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The provision of public library services is a matter for each local authority in its capacity as a library authority under the Local Government Act 2001. This includes the procurement of books and other library related services. My Department has no direct role in these matters.

I understand that the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) is currently working with the Educational Procurement Service on a collaborative engagement for book stock procurement under the new Office of Government Procurement centralised model. A Working Group has been established by the LGMA to oversee the process. It is planned to publish the national tender later in the year in order to have a national procurement in place for 2017.