THE operator of the direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna received €2.35m (including VAT) in fees from the State in 2020, writes Gordon Deegan.
The payout for 2020 represents a 50% increase on the €1.564m fees paid out to James White & Co Ltd by the State in 2019.
The White firm operates the King Thomond Hotel in Lisdoonvarna and the payment brings to €6.15m the company has received since the centre was opened in 2018 to accommodate asylum seekers.
The company was paid €1.244m for the period between March and December 2018.
The centre is regarded as one of the better run across scores of direct provision centres used to accommodate asylum seekers here with a Minister for State at the Department of Justice, David Stanton previously telling the Dail: “There were concerns about Lisdoonvarna; it is a model now.”
The most recent accounts for James White & Co Ltd show the operation of the direct provision centre is producing strong profits for the company.
The accounts show that the company’s post tax profits for 2020 of €579,141 were a four-fold increase on the post tax profits of €137,150 recorded for 2019.
The accounts show that accumulated profits at the firm at the end of 2020 totalled €1.2 million.
During the period under review, the firm’s cash funds more than doubled from €361,613 to €863,381. The profit for 2020 takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €107,135.
The company’s pre-tax profits for 2020 totalled €670,814. The firm total corporate tax bill for 2020 amounted to €91,673. The company is controlled by James White. Filings previously lodged with the Companies Office show that Marcus White resigned as a director from James White & Co Ltd in August of 2019.
The directors are listed as Megan White and Anne Barrett along with Gert Eksteen who joined the board in September 2021.
Directors’ pay for 2020 increased almost four-fold from €50,000 in 2019 to €195,091 made up of remuneration of €94,691 and pension payments of €100,000.
At a public meeting in the town in February 2018, then director of the hotel firm, Marcus White said that if the townspeople didn’t want the centre to proceed, he would honour that decision.
In response to Mr White’s public statement, the local community held a vote by secret ballot at a public meeting organised by Lisdoonvarna Fáilte.
In response to the question ‘do you want a direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna?’, 197 voted ‘no’ with 15 voting ‘yes’.
However, James White & Co Ltd subsequently entered a contract with the Department of Justice’s Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) to operate a direct provision centre at the home for one year.
In a statement at the time, Mr White said, “We gave a commitment in the lead up to this point that if all of the people of Lisdoonvarna did not want the contract to go ahead then it would not.”
He added: “There have been various meetings and while there is certainly a number of people that do not want the contract to be signed, there are equally a number that do.
“Those that don’t raised their concerns regarding certain facilities as outlined above and we are satisfied that those concerns will be addressed by the RIA and the Department.”
He said: “Our objective now is to ensure that the delivery of the service lives up to the very high standards that we strive for as an organisation and, in those circumstances, we will be focusing on that and no further public comment will be made by us.”