Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 21 October 2021

Public Accounts Committee

2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency - Financial Statements 2020

9:30 am

Mr. Pat Smyth:

It can. We can give a written response but I will give the Deputy an overview. The same as every agency in the State at the time, we faced a challenge in getting face masks, goggles, surgical gloves, cleaning materials, etc., to ensure staff and clients were safe. As the Comptroller and Auditor General pointed out, we use the same system as the HSE and tend to use the same suppliers. The same approach was taken by us and the same suppliers supplied the same products at similar prices as to the HSE. That was the type of material. We had to take some emergency measures in terms of residential homes to ensure screens, etc., were erected at various points, as well as in places where staff were continuing to work. The €900,000-----