Kate Duggan, chief executive of Tusla, says agency had to stop relying on a second company it had previously contracted to run services Photograph: Bryan O'Brien
Speaking at a meeting of the Oireachtas public accounts committee, Ms Duggan said there were “two agencies we’ve stopped engaging with” over concerns. The first, Ideal Care, had been paid €10 million by Tusla in recent years, while the second company had been paid €4 million by the State agency since 2020, the committee heard.Explainer: Exit deals and payoffs in publicly funded organisations
An internal July 2023 report detailed how Tusla had uncovered major concerns about Ideal Care. Inspections of the company that March had found checks of prospective employees had been “fabricated”, while some Garda vetting records had been altered. In response to revelations, the Company records show a new entity, Iontaofa Care Limited, was set up by the pair in late July 2023. Ms Akwuobi is the chief executive and owner of Iontaofa Care, with Mr Akwuobi the company secretary. It is registered to the same address in a Mulhuddart, Dublin, business park as Ideal Care.