Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I ask that it be submitted to the committee.

I want to move on to the issue of non-competitive procurement. It is just an extension of what we see in the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2015 report. In 2015, a report was published on non-compliant procurement. Although it was less, there was €57 million in non-compliant procurement over a ten-year period. In 2021, non-compliant procurement totalled €91 million. Do we learn anything? Is it ever taken on board when a report of that nature is issued? A procurement process is a legal requirement. There is €91 million worth of illegal contracts in place, involving 54 different entities that have not had to follow the procurement process. Do any legal issues arise from this? Is the Department at risk of being sued for not following procurement rules?