Elderly ministry to review damning audit report on St Vincent de Paule

Ministry for the Elderly to review NAO report that found government broke the law when awarding a €274 million management contract at St Vincent de Paule home for the elderly

The Ministry for the Elderly has said that it will be reviewing an NAO report that found government broke the law when awarding a €274 million management contract at St Vincent de Paule home for the elderly.

The contract was awarded by negotiated procedure in November 2017. The same companies had already won a separate bid to build a new kitchen at SVPR and construct an extension.

What was intended to be a catering contract was turned into a mega-contract for the award of a new hospital wing built by the DB Group and James Caterers, by way of a negotiated procedure.

In a damning 177-page report, the NAO said that SVPD, a government institution for the elderly, the Ministry for Family and Social Solidarity and the Department of Contracts “acted in breach of legislative provisions” when they sanctioned a negotiated procedure for the management of the new blocks on the basis of urgency.

The ministry said the government has respect for the auditor general’s office, and will be analysing the report to avoid any similar mistakes.

It did however justify the development by saying that the project has served to improve hospital services for the elderly.

“Our elderly deserve the best service and not the situation that St Vincent was left in a few years ago,” it said. “While the Auditor General's report should be taken seriously, there is no doubt about the benefits of this project.”

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