This thesis examines what (positive/negative) influence, if any, government policy had on the uptake on Green public procurement (GPP) in Ireland. As EU GPP agenda moves forward with a number of significant proposed initiatives announced in 2008, its appears that contrary to the belief of some GPP is not really on the Irish agenda. Where there are examples of GPP in Irish policies it has been included on a issue by issue ad hoc basis with no evident success. As the knowledge of GPP demonstrated by the procurement professionals interviewed was less than adequate, it would appear that Ireland is weak on both the policy facilitators and drivers and the implementation tools for green public procurement. The GPP Policy Stream Life Cycle Model is presented in this thesis as an adaptation of Larsen's 'Garbage Can Life Cycle' Model (2001) informed by Kingdon's Policy Streams Metaphor. For the solution (e.g. GPP) to be implemented and problems solved (e.g. CO2 emissions) three streams have to come together namely: problem(s), policy comprising potential solutions; and the political environment. Furthermore the three streams of problem, policy and politics must continue to ensure that the implementation reaches mainstream and does not meet with an early death. This study contends that there is a need for environmental policy integration (EPI), on both horizontal (across policy areas) and vertical (in all aspects of policies) axes, for GPP to go mainstream in Ireland, not to talk of becoming the norm and therefore a real driver of change.