Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 October 2025
609. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if all contracting authorities under the aegis of his Department are in full compliance with Circular 05/2023, in particular the mandatory requirement to publish contract award notices for all contracts above €25,000; and if he will provide details of the monitoring or enforcement arrangements in place to ensure this requirement is met. [55079/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraState bodies under the aegis of my Department are independent in the performance of their functions and my Department does not routinely monitor compliance with Circular 05/2023 as this is a matter for the bodies themselves.
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 contact email addresses are set out in the attached table.
It should be noted that my Department engages in a number of ways with the State bodies under its aegis regarding the requirement to comply with all relevant procedures pertaining to public procurement. An annual survey on compliance with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies is issued to all the State bodies each year and includes a series of questions on public procurement procedures. State bodies are asked to confirm that they have in place comprehensive procurement policies and procedures that have been made available to all staff. They are also asked to confirm on an annual basis that procedures are in place to detect non-compliance with requirements for public procurement and that they have a contracts database/listing in place for all contracts/payments in excess of €25,000 with monitoring systems in place to flag non-competitive procurement. Responses to the survey in 2024 confirmed that all bodies complied with these public procurement procedures.
Oversight agreements in place with the State bodies also include provisions requiring the bodies to comply with public procurement guidelines. Finally, the Chairperson's Comprehensive Report to the Minister, required under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, requires Chairpersons of the relevant State bodies to confirm adherence to relevant procurement policy and procedures.
