Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for answering our questions so well thus far. I want to ask about the role IDA Ireland played in the purchase of ventilators by a company known as Roqu Media, a festival management company. I am sure the witnesses are familiar with it. I am not exactly certain what its expertise in ventilators and ventilation is, but perhaps the witnesses can enlighten us on that. The company has no history of trading on these shores. Several red flags were raised during the due diligence process, one of which I understand concerned the fact that the chief executive of Roqu was not dealing directly with the wholesalers but via a third party, which dealt primarily in the products in question. We know what the issues were with the ventilators. My questions are fairly simple. After the red flag was raised, did IDA Ireland break off contact with the chief executive, with whom, I am sure, the witnesses are familiar?

When did it break off contact? Perhaps Mr. Shanahan will give us an insight into what IDA Ireland's role was during this process. I will qualify my questions by saying that I understand that, at the start of the pandemic, there was panic, but some of that panic would have subsided over time. What was IDA Ireland's role in facilitating the purchase of these ventilators that did not work and at what point, if ever, did it feel it was necessary to break off contact?