Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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1577. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department or any agency operating under the aegis of his Department, have used reserved contracts or social clauses in their public procurement tenders in the past five years; if so, the nature of the reserved contract or social clause; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42756/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The information sought is not readily available and its compilation would involve a disproportionate amount of time and work.

My Department aims to meet government policy goals in relation to matters including (but not limited to) incorporating social considerations, environmental sustainability and SMEs when procuring. Social considerations have been incorporated into the specifications and award criteria of some contracts awarded over the past five years, however, as my Department operates a decentralised procurement model, the information sought is not centrally available. Procurement activity, including the use of reserved contracts and social clauses, is the responsibility of the budget holder, who is usually the head of the business unit, of which there are more than eighty.

To ensure transparency and in accordance with the Freedom of Information Publication Scheme, my Department maintains a contracts register for contracts with a value in excess of €25,000 (excl. VAT). The register is published on an annual basis at www.gov.ie/en/collection/14085-public-contracts-awarded-over-25000-euro/. The 2024 contracts register is currently being prepared and will be published in due course.

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. These bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of the Oireachtas, as set out in the attached table.