Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The figure increased from €67 million to €77 million and will be between €95 million and €100 million this year. There are 729 children who have status and should not be in direct provision. Let us return to chapter 6 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, which deals with procurement and management of contracts for direct provision. At the time, he stated the contract was not going out to tender and the Department disagreed in the sense that it was a negotiated procedure.