Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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487. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has a designated head of procurement; if each agency or public body under his Department’s remit also has a designated head of procurement; and if so, to list those entities, along with the name or grade of the person holding that role. [33644/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates a decentralised procurement model, where procurement is the responsibility of the budget holder who is usually the head of the business unit conducting the procurement exercise.

Heads of business units are responsible for ensuring compliance with my Department's Procurement Policy and all applicable national and EU rules and regulations and Office of Government Procurement guidance.

In accordance with Circular 40/2002, my Department has designated a Procurement Officer whose role is to provide support and guidance to staff and record the procurement processes of all contracts awarded over €25,000 (excluding VAT). In addition, Circular 40/2002 requires the preparation of an annual report of all contracts awarded without a competitive process and it must include an explanation why a competitive process was not undertaken. The 40/2002 report must be signed by the Accounting Officer and sent to the Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General.

Budget Holders are required to inform the Procurement Officer of their procurement activities and provide all information or documentation requested by the Procurement Officer in a timely manner.

My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the state bodies under its aegis. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The relevant contact details are set out in the attached table.

">State Bodies Contact Information

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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488. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of staff within his Department and its agencies who hold a formal procurement qualification or certification (for example, CIPS, NFQ Level 6 or higher in procurement, EU public procurement training), broken down by organisation, in tabular form. [33662/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not keep a record of the qualifications held by staff members, and accordingly there may be staff working in various roles in the Department who are qualified in this area but who have applied for different positions.

The table below details the number of staff in my Department, who hold or are undertaking a formal procurement qualification or certification (based on NFQ level 6 or higher) from 2022 to date in 2025, funded by the Training budget of my Department.

No. of Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Staff - formal Procurement Qualification – Total 2.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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489. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department and each agency or public body under its remit uses a formal contract management system or procurement tracking platform; to list the systems in use; and if they are centrally monitored or independently operated. [33680/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to adhering to the rules and guidelines surrounding public procurement and is fully committed to transparency, fairness and accountability in all its purchasing activities. In order to fulfill reporting requirements and to facilitate Comptroller & Auditor General audit inspection, my Department maintains a central Contracts Register of all contracts awarded that exceed €25,000 (excluding VAT). The Contracts Register utilises SharePoint and was internally developed and is maintained by my Department.

My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the state bodies under its aegis. Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The relevant contact email addresses are set out in the attached table.