Two directors at a major provider of accommodation for International Protection (IP) applicants received a combined €4.68 million in salary and pension benefits last year, reports RTE.
During just the latter half of 2024, Igo Cafe Ltd, operating under the name IGO Emergency Management Services, was paid €29.9 million (including VAT) by the State for housing IP applicants.
The company, located in Dún Laoghaire, is jointly owned by directors Ann Murphy and Cristina Andries, who equally shared the €4.68 million in total compensation and pensions in 2024, reports RTE.
Last year, the Government allocated €1 billion to IP applicant accommodation.
Financial statements for Igo Cafe Ltd detail that €3.779 million of the total was direct pay, with another €910,000 going toward pension contributions.
If divided evenly, each director would have received €1.889 million in salary in 2024, which translates to a weekly income of €36,346, reports RTE.
Their combined pay for 2024 is nearly triple the €1.3 million they earned together in 2023.
According to the accounts, the company posted a post-tax profit of €1.3 million last year—a 48.5% increase over the €882,126 profit recorded in 2023, reports RTE.
The firm expanded its workforce from 31 to 77 employees over the past year, and ended December with accumulated profits of €2.28 million and €1.24 million in cash reserves.
This €1.24 million cash total is a major increase from the mere €1,158 the company held in 2019.
A spokesperson from the Department of Justice stated today that IGO Emergency Management Services “are a facilities management provider at four International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) accommodation centres”, reports RTE.
She added: “The Department does not routinely provide details of IPAS Accommodation Centre locations or occupancy levels. While detailed contractual arrangements for IPAS centres are confidential and commercially sensitive, the Department publishes quarterly reports on all payments to service providers over €20,000, which include IPAS accommodation contracts for this and other providers,” reports RTE.
She noted that these reports can be accessed by the public online.
She further clarified: “IGO Emergency Management Services are not a facilities management provider for Ukraine Temporary Protection scheme,” reports RTE.
In related data, the Government’s total expenditure on IP applicant accommodation reached €1 billion last year, including €280 million spent in the final quarter alone.
This €1 billion figure marks a 54% rise compared to the €651.75 million spent in 2023, reports RTE.
Altogether, €1.84 billion was spent in 2024 on accommodation for both IP applicants and Ukrainians.
This brings the average daily cost of accommodation last year to €5 million, reports RTE.
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