Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for appearing. A number of issues arise, including the legal advice received by the Minister on this issue. Will Mr. Egan please go back over that and explain what legal advice the Department received requiring it to bring these services to tender?

Can the phase 2 tender be framed in such a way that local community service providers will get priority and secure the contract? How is it pitched? Is a local community's track record included as a high-scoring criterion in the tender?

The tender needs to be designed favourably in respect of the local organisations given their long track record. Can Mr. Egan confirm whether this is the position? Has there been dialogue around that?

Mr. Egan maintains there is significant dialogue between the Department and the various stakeholders, but the latter are telling us otherwise. They want meaningful engagement and a stakeholder forum. Is the Department open to engaging in a more meaningful arrangement? That is what the stakeholders want. They want to come to some sort of agreement with the Department in order that they can move on with something workable for both sides and the employees and clients.