The Department of Housing last year spent €82,139 (excluding VAT) on temporary mortuary facilities for victims of Covid-19 as part of Government plans to deal with a large surge in the pandemic.
The contract for the work was one of a series of State contracts that Government departments did not put out to tender and entered via a negotiated procedure as it grappled with the threat posed by the pandemic.
In response to a series of written Dáil questions put down by Galway West TD Mairead Farrell, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien further confirmed that €142,715 was spent on the printing of 4.4 million leaflets in English and Irish on the National Community Call for delivery to homes across the country.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman confirmed a number of contracts with hotels that provided Covid-19 isolation centres were also not put out to tender.
In response to Deputy Farrell, Minister O’Gorman stated that his department established isolation/quarantine centres where direct provision residents with Covid-19, or new residents to the direct provision system required to quarantine, were housed.
Under this heading, Minister O'Gorman stated that €1.64m was paid to Holiday Inn Express; €967,735 to Travelodge Phoenix Park, €628,488 to Crowne Plaza and €831,600 was paid to Carnbeg.
Direct Provision
Minister O’Gorman also confirmed that his department established so-called ‘thinning centres’ that were established to provide more bed spaces so that no more than three non-related people in direct provision were sharing a bedroom.
Under that heading where the contracts were not put out to tender, €1.3 million was paid to The Central Inn on Exchequer Street in Dublin, €1.19 million was paid to Travelodge Galway and €876,266 was paid to Travelodge Cork.
In his reply, Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath confirmed that €123,000 was paid to eir (security services) to enhance malware detection and prevention systems in response to a National Cyber Security Centre alert on heightened threat levels arising from Covid-19.
In his reply to Deputy Farrell, the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan confirmed that a €4 million contract for Covid-19 testing arrangements for hauliers travelling to France was not put out to tender.
Remote working
In other contracts not put out to tender, in her reply, Minister for Culture and Heritage, Catherine Martin confirmed that €138,104 was spent on April 1st on laptops for staff to support remote working during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney confirmed that his department paid Dell €842,160 for mobile workstations that included a 22” monitor, wired mouse and keyboard, laptop and carry case.
In his response, Minister McGrath confirmed that there was a spend of €192 million across 729 contracts in 2019 where the work was not put out to tender relating to all Government departments.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in Government spending increasing significantly in 2020, the value of State work not put out to tender is expected to increase sharply, but Minister McGrath stated that those figures are not yet available.
