Government ‘buying Irish’ more often would create jobs, says Bruton

GOVERNMENT departments and state agencies could do more to support jobs by buying more Irish goods and services, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton has admitted.

Mr Bruton said yesterday that there was significant room for improvement in public procurement practice in Ireland to create better opportunities for small firms.

Mr Bruton said that it was “common knowledge” that a higher proportion of Irish public procurement contracts were awarded to overseas companies than in most other EU members states.