Concern over €2.5m payout for childcare checks

Concern has been expressed over the way some €2.5m in taxpayers’ money was used to monitor the compliance of childcare providers.

The matter raises the first controversy for James Reilly in his new role as children’s minister.

An internal audit at the Children’s Department stated it was “extremely difficult to support the annual fee of €2.5m”, given to Pobal, a registered charity, to carry out the checks, according to an investigation by RTÉ.