Probe into irregular payments of €500k to child care group

Gardaí and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) are investigating irregular payments totalling €500,000 to a childcare group by the State, the Public Accounts Committee has been told.

Correspondence to the committee from Pobal, the Government’s communities agency, reveals that the matter was referred to the gardaí in February of this year and investigations are ongoing.

The documents, seen by the Irish Examiner, show that alarm was raised over payments to the West Clare Early Years Care and Education Services Ltd (WCEY) as far back as 2014.