Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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280. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the details of the information his Department collates as per circular 20/2019 (details supplied); the date this report was issued; the location on his Departmental website on which it can be found; and the progress in relation to green procurement that has been made to date. [25427/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The procurement of goods, services and works in my Department and by the Defence Forces is carried out in accordance with public procurement policies and national and European laws. Procurement procedures are kept under constant review to ensure that they are line with best practice, guidance and the legal framework. This includes the incorporation of social clauses including environmental and green considerations into public procurement contracts where applicable.

Circular 20/2019 instructed all Departments including Defence to incorporate green considerations into the planning, process and reporting aspects of their respective procurement programs. The Defence Organisation has fully engaged with green procurement and wheresoever possible green procurement considerations are utilised as either selection or award criteria in procurement projects published to the market. In addition, public procurement contracts are reviewed on a case by case basis to ensure compliance with all applicable obligations in the fields of environmental law applying under national and EU law as well as various international conventions on environmental law matters.

Each relevant branch of the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces supply such information which is collated and to date has been reported in the Annual Report by reference to energy consumption. The nature of the business of the Defence Organisation largely confines social and environmental considerations to environmental/climate change control inputs such as carbon footprint, recycling, renewables and biodegradables. Specific energy conservation measures have been put in place and the results are closely monitored. Examples of green procurement outputs include:

1. Ongoing solar PV rollout to eleven Defence Force locations which year on year have seen a 340% increase of renewably generated electricity.

2. Continued replacement of carbon fuelled vehicles with electric vehicles.

3. Further installation of heat pumps on Defence Force facilities.

The commitment by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces to adapt and utilise green procurement with attendant social and environmental considerations remains steadfast. I am advised that the Defence Organisation has fully embraced green procurement in so far as procurement for defence operational purposes permits.