TASK Ltd

Lobbying Organisation TASK Ltd

Date published 20 Jan, 2018

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Community

Period 1 Sep, 2017 to 31 Dec, 2017

Specific Details The Seniors Alert Scheme (SAS), its 2014 transfer to Pobal & the continued administration of the scheme by Pobal

Intended results Broaden awareness of issues. Bring about public examination of same.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Mr Gerard Bunting, Managing Director of TASK Ltd

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (1)

13.09.17 Dáil Éireann meeting w/Mattie McGrath (Toni Bunting also attended) re: 1. Department omitted relevant materials to Paul Murphy,TD in response to his FOI request re a 2014 meeting between TASK & Minister Alan Kelly re SAS transer to Pobal. Official FOI response omitted documented details of the meeting discussions & other relevant docs were also omitted. 2. Contracting Authority, Pobal funding a supplier company, HelpLink South over €1million public funds in last 6yrs 3. Pobal's disclosures of TASK's highly confidential commercial pricing to other SAS suppliers/others 4. SAS transfer to Pobal in light of OIC ruling 160198, noting other 'commercial suppliers' were notified pre-transfer & their commercial proposals discussed. 5. Restriction of Lots/areas by Pobal that alarm suppliers can work in under 2014 tender & restricted further in 2017 SAS tender 6. Other matters re community impact, potential conflicts of interest, competition concerns & issues with SAS review process

Email (6-10)

Emails to Mattie Mc Grath, TD forwarded in Sept'17 containing further information regarding the issues discussed at the Sept meeting. Also containing TASK's March 2017 review submission to Pobal, following Pobal's public request via etenders relating to a review of the scheme (after their early termination of the previous SAS). Our review submission outlined our position & various concerns (however it was announced that the review had been competed in Jan 2017 despite Pobal asking for submissions in March through the government etenders website). Also included in email further details of Office of the Information Commissioners decision regarding commercial suppliers being notified pre-transfer of potential direction SAS was to take going forward (i.e. ICO Case Number: 160198)

Event / Reception (1)

05.10.17 - GARDA Community Awards Night at The Hub, Cillin Hill Kilkenny. Ronan Bunting had informal discussion with Pat Deering, including that new SAS restricts suppliers as to where they can install monitored alarms & all should be able to distribute throughout Ireland. Potential redundancies within supplier companies as a result. Many smaller independent Irish suppliers excluded under new tender structure. Also raised competition related concerns as regards last Pobal/SAS framework, as two separate suppliers under Pobal framework had apparently same parent company, one of whom was also an equipment supplier to other companies on the framework, including a supplier company on the framework that was being funded by the contracting authority Pobal.

Email (1)

Oct'17 - follow up email with letter included to Pat Deering re new SAS restricting suppliers as to where they can install monitored alarms. As prior to 2015, alarm suppliers worked in all counties. Community groups applying for the grants could chose which company they best preferred for older people's alarms based on price and past experiences. This gave all companies a chance to compete on their merits and many businesses shared the work. When SAS transferred to Pobal (2014) Pobal structured the scheme differently, restricting suppliers to a certain no. of 'Lots'. Max lots any one company could win was 6 out of 10 (3 as a single company & 3 as a consortium). TASK won 6 Lots. The framework was terminated by Pobal in yr1 of the contract (for which Pobal gave no public explanation) & the latest SAS tender restricts suppliers further (this time to 2 out of 7 lots) eg. restricts TASK from working in twenty-two (22) counties/many smaller independent Irish suppliers excluded altogether.

Phone call (1)

Oct'17 phonecall to Cllr Paul Daly from Ms Dunne regarding restrictions on suppliers under SAS operated by Pobal and other concerns regarding the scheme

Email (1)

Oct'17 - Follow up email to Cllr Paul Daly following phonecall containing further details re: 1. The scheme since being transferred to Pobal has excluded other smaller independent Irish companies from the market 2. As TASK are restricted by Pobal from working in twenty-two (22) counties under the new SAS designed by Pobal (i.e. five out of seven lots) this leaves representatives in these counties facing redundancy. 3. Highlighting other concerns related to the scheme

Email (1)

Sept'17 email to Cllr Tomas Redmond re: 1. Pobal disclosing TASK's confidential pricing information to competitor companies/others on the SAS framework 2. Then restructuring the SAS, limiting companies to max two Lots 3. Competition concerns re two subsidiaries on SAS framework with same ultimate owner/parent company etc 4. SAS supplier, HelpLink South, having been given over €1millon in public funds over the last 6 years by the contracting authority Pobal, to pay for their 'salaries' according to their accounts. 5. c.900 older peoples alarms for which grants were successful publicly unaccounted for by Pobal 6. Department failing to supply relevant materials to Paul Murphy,TD in response to his FOI request re 2014 meeting between TASK & Minister Alan Kelly,TD Selection of documents failed to include documented details of meeting discussions & other relevant documents 7. Other matters concerning community impact, potential conflicts of interest & fair competition

Phone call (2-5)

27.10.17 Phonecall with Peter Joyce to relay details to Carol Nolan,TD by Ronan Bunting 27.10.17 Phonecall with Peter Joyce to relay details to Carol Nolan,TD by Toni Bunting

Email (6-10)

27.10.17 email follow up to phonecalls re: 1. Department omitting relevant materials to Paul Murphy,TD in response to his FOI request re 2014 meeting between TASK & Minister Alan Kelly re SAS transer to Pobal. FOI response omitted documented details of meeting discussions & other departmental documents of relevance 2. Contracting Authority, Pobal funding a supplier company, HelpLink South over €1million public funds in last 6yrs 3. Pobal's disclosures of TASK's highly confidential commercial pricing to other SAS suppliers/others 4. SAS transfer to Pobal in light of OIC ruling, noting other 'commercial suppliers' were notified pre-transfer & their commercial proposals discussed re SAS 5. Apparent post contract change re scope of SAS framework re geographical areas suppliers could work in under the contract 6. Other matters concerning community impact, potential conflicts of interest & competition concerns with the SAS

Meeting (1)

Ronan Bunting met with Peadar Tóibín in his advice centre in Trim on 9th Oct'17 Restriction of Lots/areas by Pobal that alarm suppliers can work in under 2014 tender & restricted further in 2017 SAS tender. Potential redundancies. Competition concerns re two subsidiaries on previous SAS framework despite having the same ultimate owner/parent company. Highlighted other potential competition concerns.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Mattie McGrath TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pat Deering TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Thomas Redmond Councillor (Kildare County Council)

Peadar Tóibín TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Carol Nolan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)