Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The Ceann Comhairle may have seen reports that two directors of Igo Café, which is one of the largest beneficiaries of State contracts for the provision of IPAS accommodation, paid themselves €4.6 million last year. It appears these revelations may be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of some of the profiteering happening in the provision of IPAS accommodation. People are literally becoming millionaires through the provision of State contracts. However, we know that HIQA inspections have found that in some cases, the accommodation that is being provided is cramped, damp and overcrowded. Does the Taoiseach think it is acceptable or does he accept that it is unacceptable that the directors of such a company would be getting a pay bonanza, essentially, of €4.6 million in a given year from taxpayer funds? Given that the projected spend on IPAS accommodation for this year is going to be €1.2 billion, will the Government ensure that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that we do not have this type of extravagant profiteering?

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