Sharon Keogan: Calls for independent review of Allpro deal
Senator Sharon Keogan addressed the Seanad on urgent child protection and public expenditure concerns after Alpro Services was appointed to represent unaccompanied and separated children. She called for the six-month pilot contract to be reviewed under Section 53C of the International Protection Act and demanded an independent evaluation to ensure transparency.
Senator Keogan relayed a letter from the Children Rights Alliance expressing deep disappointment that Allpro Services secured the official representative role for unaccompanied minors. She warned these children are among the most traumatised in the state and are vulnerable to hypermobility, exploitation, trafficking and disappearing.
Keogan highlighted that under Section 50 the appointed organisation must represent, assist and act on behalf of the unaccompanied child in intense legal screenings and complex family tracing procedures. She argued Allpro has not demonstrated the required legal expertise and described the appointment as a departure from recognised child welfare standards.
Referencing reporting in the Sunday Business Post, Keogan set the procurement decision against corporate filings showing Allpro after-tax profits surged to €10.6 million and owners extracted £5.6 million in dividends. She noted existing state contracts with Agriculture and Higher Education and criticised the system that allows a single private entity to profit significantly from emergency state accommodation.
Senator Keogan echoed the Children Rights Alliance's demand that the six-month pilot be reviewed by an independent evaluator under Section 53C. She emphasised the need for absolute transparency in the evaluation and warned that colleagues and the public will be watching to protect vulnerable children and public funds.
Immediate concerns and CRA warning
Senator Keogan relayed a letter from the Children Rights Alliance expressing deep disappointment that Allpro Services secured the official representative role for unaccompanied minors. She warned these children are among the most traumatised in the state and are vulnerable to hypermobility, exploitation, trafficking and disappearing.
Legal duties under the International Protection Act
Keogan highlighted that under Section 50 the appointed organisation must represent, assist and act on behalf of the unaccompanied child in intense legal screenings and complex family tracing procedures. She argued Allpro has not demonstrated the required legal expertise and described the appointment as a departure from recognised child welfare standards.
Procurement and corporate profit concerns
Referencing reporting in the Sunday Business Post, Keogan set the procurement decision against corporate filings showing Allpro after-tax profits surged to €10.6 million and owners extracted £5.6 million in dividends. She noted existing state contracts with Agriculture and Higher Education and criticised the system that allows a single private entity to profit significantly from emergency state accommodation.
Demand for an independent review and transparency
Senator Keogan echoed the Children Rights Alliance's demand that the six-month pilot be reviewed by an independent evaluator under Section 53C. She emphasised the need for absolute transparency in the evaluation and warned that colleagues and the public will be watching to protect vulnerable children and public funds.
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Transcript
I formally second the amendment by Senator Mullan. So Cathaoirleach, I rise today to speak on a matter of urgent child protection and public expenditure. I received a letter from the Children Rights Alliance expressing deep disappointment that Alpro Services had secured a contract to act as the official representative organisation for the unaccompanied and separated children. These children are among the most traumatised individuals in our state. The Children's Rights Alliance have explicitly warned that these minors are extremely vulnerable to hypermobility, exploitation, trafficking and disappearing. Under section 50 of the International Protection Act, the appointed company must represent, assist and act on behalf of the unaccompanied child. They are tasked with navigating intense legal screenings and complex family tracing procedures. Yet the state has outsourced this critical statutory duty to a commercial provider whose core business traditionally consists of cleaning, security, pest control and landscaping. As the CRA states, this company has not demonstrated expertise in the legal process involved. This represents a staggering departure from child welfare standards. It is an absolute insult to the dedicated non-profits and childcare specialists across Ireland who have spent decades building expertise in highly sensitive fields. However, to understand how we arrived at this point, we must look back no further than the article published by the Sunday Business Post in August of last year. This bizarre procurement decision shines a harsh light on a deeply broken international protection system. State inefficiencies have turned a severe humanitarian crisis into an extraordinary corporate windfall. Corporate filings revealed that Alpo services after-tax profits surged eightfold to a staggering £10.6 million on the back of emergency state accommodation contracts, allowing the owners to extract £5.6 million dividend payouts. But this is not the first time this facility firm has successfully expanded its corporate portfolio across the machinery of the state. The same article shows that they already hold a £5 million contract with the Department of Agriculture, alongside a £290,000 contract with the Department of Higher Education. It is a devastating indictment that our current system, when a single private entity can profit so dramatically off the misfortune of others, while also banking millions of euros from the Irish taxpayer due to a total lack of state planning, with no will to enforce a tough, fair and efficient migration system, we are now watching core child welfare functions being absorbed into the commercial facility. To be clear, I am not attacking any individual. I am questioning what all of this has to say about the state of our public procurement. Section 53C of that Act requires this six-month pilot contract to be reviewed. I echo the CRA's demands on this evaluation, and it must be conducted by an independent evaluator to ensure absolute transparency, because I can tell you we will all be watching this and we will not leave those vulnerable children.