Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

When precisely was Mazars appointed? Will the report be produced by the closing date of 24 June? It seems an extraordinarily tight timeline. It has already taken this long since the review was announced in October 2021. I welcome the positive news but I want clarification on that point. I also want to know the cost of it. The range under the procurement guidelines is €25,000 to €144,000. The background is very important. This was introduced in the budget in 2016 for 2017, as the Minister of State well knows. It was predicted to cost €40 million per year. Between January to November 2021 alone, it had cost €167 million, more than four times that figure. I understand it has now cost more than €500 million. We do not know if it represents value for money. We have had various reports and comments. In October 2021, Professor Kieran McQuinn of the ESRI said the scheme was adding to demand pressures. We know from the Parliamentary Budget Office that 41% of applicants had no need for deposit assistance.

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