Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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224.To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he is taking to amend the procurement regulations to incentivise the enhanced use of wood in public construction projects including glulam and cross-laminated timber to replace steel fabrication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25500/24]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The procurement regulations require public bodies to award public contracts on the basis of transparent and non-discriminatory criteria. These regulations already permit contracting authorities to take into account matters, such as sustainability, in the award of contracts.

The Office of Government Procurement, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, has published an online search tool which allows users to rapidly find, select and download Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria relevant to a specific procurement project and is available online at gppcriteria.gov.ie.

Where public works contracts are concerned it is at the design stage where the greatest reductions in embodied carbon may be achieved. This can be done by using readily available tools such as Level(s), the European framework for sustainable buildings. Level(s) uses core sustainability indicators to measure carbon, materials, water, health, comfort and climate change impacts throughout a building’s full life cycle.

By identifying the elements of high carbon intensity in a building project the specified materials can be adjusted to reduce the carbon footprint whilst achieving the structural and performance requirements for the building.

Following on from this, design teams should focus on reducing unnecessary material use in designs and consider material circularity.

There is a commitment to include low carbon materials in Public Procurement both through the Climate Action Plan and Green Public Procurement.

Recently, the Government has approved public procurement guidance to promote the reduction of embodied carbon when specifying cementitious materials in public works projects. My colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke, T.D. will soon write to public bodies to advise them of new guidance when designing public projects, and procuring cement and concrete products in particular.