Mr. Noel Waters:

I thank the Deputy for raising that point. The daily rate per person is of the order of €30. Two years ago, it was a little higher at €31 or touching €32. It varies according to the nature of the services provided in different centres. I am talking about an overall rate. It has come back a little. Conversely, in the State sector, where we have a full procurement exercise and we have gone to the market and have just completed the exercise, the rate has increased from €15 per person per day to €20 per person per day. The effect of going to an open tendering competition has been to increase the cost to the State. There are, however, other issues around ensuring that this is a completely transparent process.