Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
208. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the steps that are being taken to ensure that robust social enterprise measures are included in the forthcoming national public procurement strategy, including consideration of social value legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22994/26]
View answerThe forthcoming National Public Procurement Strategy has been subject to an extensive consultation process, which has been critical to understanding the primary challenges and opportunities for both public bodies and suppliers, including social enterprises. My Department undertook the following as part of the consultation for this strategy:
• A public consultation to ensure that all those with an interest in the future direction of public procurement had an opportunity to inform the new strategy.
• Regional workshops in Dublin, Cork and Athlone, which included public buyers and policy makers from across the public sector, representation from across the broad spectrum of Irish business, including social enterprises, representatives from civil society and members of the public.
• A dedicated webinar for suppliers so they could feed into the development of the strategy.
• Bilateral meetings with government departments - including the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, which has responsibility for social enterprise policy - as well as with other key stakeholders, to agree desired outcomes and actions for inclusion in the strategy.
• Direct engagement with SME and social enterprise representative bodies during the application of the SME Test.
As the strategy has not yet been approved by Government, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the individual measures that will be included. That said, informed by this engagement, a range of actions are under consideration for inclusion in the strategy to help make it easier for SMEs - particularly start-ups, microenterprises and social enterprises - to compete for public contracts. In addition, further actions to support the wider implementation of socially responsible public procurement practices, including those aimed at increasing opportunities for social enterprises to participate in public procurement, are also under consideration.
The strategy is currently being finalised. I expect to bring the strategy to Government in the coming weeks.
