Watchdog Reports €7.4M Overcharge and €70M Museum Delays

A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General has revealed significant financial mismanagement, including a €7.4 million overcharge by an emergency accommodation provider to the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS). The report, which outlines instances of waste and inefficient spending of public funds, also highlights the protracted delays in the construction of a children’s science museum that could exceed €70 million after more than two decades of discussion.

The planned children’s science museum, originally proposed in the 1990s, faced criticism for its lack of progress. The Office of Public Works (OPW) had been in discussions with the Irish Children’s Museum Limited (ICML), a registered charity with trustees including Ali Hewson, wife of U2 frontman Bono, as well as Prof. Luke O’Neill and barrister Michael Collins. The OPW’s agreement with ICML was intended to establish a “world-class children’s science museum” on State-owned land in Dublin.

The report indicates that the OPW has already spent over €4.2 million on the project, including €563,000 in legal costs. The original budget for the museum was set at €14.3 million, but market conditions have changed dramatically since the project was first proposed. The Comptroller noted that several similar facilities have opened and closed in recent years, suggesting challenges in sustaining such ventures.

Meanwhile, the report also addressed the financial practices of the emergency accommodation provider, which improperly charged VAT on invoices between March 2022 and December 2023, despite the provision of emergency accommodation being VAT exempt. The provider has since refunded approximately €1.5 million to date, with the Department of Justice stating that it is still reviewing recovery of the remaining VAT overcharge.

The Comptroller’s report further criticized the Department of Agriculture for overspending on its tuberculosis (TB) eradication programme, which totaled €100 million last year. While the goal is to eliminate TB in cattle by 2030, infection rates have reportedly increased. The budget for the programme exceeded its target by about 76 percent. The report highlighted irregularities among private veterinary practitioners involved in TB testing, with one in twelve sanctioned for non-compliance.

In light of these findings, John Brady, chairman of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, expressed concern over the alarming levels of waste in public funds. He emphasized the need for greater accountability and oversight, particularly regarding the international protection accommodation system.

The report also noted that Ireland fell short of its target for building or acquiring social homes, achieving only 5,165 units in 2024, which is a 10 percent deficit. In contrast, the Department of Housing exceeded its affordable housing target by delivering 7,125 new homes. Despite these achievements, the Comptroller pointed out the absence of a central database for tracking social and affordable housing projects, although an IT initiative is expected to be fully implemented by 2028 at a cost of €12.8 million.

As the fallout from this report continues, the financial implications of these findings may prompt further scrutiny and calls for reform across various government departments.