Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Could I follow on and refer to the final item in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report? He says there was non-compliance with public procurement guidelines, despite the fact that this had been brought to the attention of the authority in 2010 and 2012. Two consultants were engaged because of their previous knowledge in 2013 without any tender process. These contracts amounted to €116,383. A third contract amounted to €501,106 in 2013 and was the subject of a restrictive competitive tender process. It was not advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union as required by the EU directives for contracts in excess of €125,000. Why did this procedure continue even though it had been brought to the attention of the authority by the Comptroller and Auditor General on a number of occasions beforehand?