Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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615. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of existing contracts of an indefinite period entered into by her Department prior to the enactment of the EU Procurement Directive. [53237/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The procurement of supplies and services is essential to support my Department in providing high quality services to the public, in a cost effective and efficient manner. My Department ensures that there is an appropriate focus on good practice in purchasing and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines.

48 Local Development Companies (referred to as Implementing Bodies) and Údarás na Gaeltachta deliver a number of employment support programmes on behalf of the Department; these contracts are reviewed by the Department on an ongoing basis.

In addition, there are 15 contracts for ICT software and licenses which are proprietary in nature and in respect of aged legacy technology where only one supplier is available. These contracts are also reviewed on an ongoing basis and will cease when the ongoing programme of migration from these legacy technologies completes.