Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I want to return to the issue of Government waste. The Comptroller and Auditor General's annual report was published today and it makes for pretty damning reading in terms of lack of due diligence in the awarding of IPAS contracts. It confirms a concern that we have had for quite some time in relation to profiteering and lack of accountability in the awarding of IPAS contracts, lack of due diligence, gaps in payment controls, no contracts for properties, overbilling and overpayments to companies - in one case, to the tune of €7.4 million. The truth is that, under this Government, a small number of private operators have been allowed to make millions of euro from the public purse. The State is due to spend €1.2 billion on the awarding of these contracts this year and that it is very worrying.

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