Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With the greatest respect, I understand what the officials are saying and I understand the dynamics at play. However, I do not think it is good enough to simply rely on information emerging. We are talking about people who are facing extreme marginalisation and extraordinary issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder and all kinds of things. Yet we are merely hoping that at some point they will tell us, via a third party, that they have been shipped on a bus several hundred miles down the road to God knows where, despite the precarious situation they are already facing. I acknowledge that the Department can see the emergency accommodation situation as unacceptable and not fit for purpose, but we are hearing that this is the scenario and that it is imminent. It seems there are no measures in place to proactively prevent this type of situation recurring. I am highly concerned by the fact that this has been identified already with an existing provider and the person responsible and the facility are still operating. There are people still existing - I would not use the term "living" - in that accommodation. I want to make that point.

Earlier, Ms Buckley rightly identified the issue of value for money. Is there a definition of what constitutes value for money? Is it written down anywhere? Are there terms of reference for that statement and for ensuring value for money? What constitutes value for money for the Department for a person living either in emergency accommodation or direct provision?