Written answers

Thursday, 13 May 2021

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Environmental Policy

Photo of Mairead FarrellMairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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236. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the details of the information her Department collates as per circular 20/2019 (details supplied); the date this report was issued; the location on her Departmental website on which it can be found; and the progress in relation to green procurement that has been made to date. [25441/21]

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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My Department strives to ensure that there is an appropriate focus on best procurement practice at all times and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines to the greatest extent possible.

With specific reference to Circular 20/2019: Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement, my Department has engaged with the Environmental Protection Agency as the national co-ordinating body and supplied them with details of all green public procurement during 2020 with a value of €25,000 or over. As required under the Circular, these details will also be included in my Department’s 2020 Annual Report due to be published later this year.

My Department has, and will continue to engage with the Office of Government Procurement on all matters procurement related, including measures to ensure that Green Public Procurement becomes part of the mainstream public procurement processes across the Department. Staff involved in the procurement oversight function within my Department have attended dedicated training in relation to Green Public Procurement and the Department’s Procurement Oversight Procedures have been adjusted to include specific provision in relation to Green Procurement considerations and responsibilities. These revised arrangements have been circulated to all staff along with Circular 20/2019 and all other relevant material – this information is also available on my Department’s Intranet which is available to all staff.

Procurement within the bodies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for which the bodies themselves are responsible.

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