Thomas Byrne, the Fianna Fáil education spokesman, said that the agency credit card bills were outrageous

A state agency has been branded “disgusting” and “scandalous” for using abuse survivors’ money on €950 bar bills and high-end meals.

Caranua, which was set up to make payments from a fund for survivors of residential institutions, has refused to respond to questions from The Times about its credit card bills. Staff spent €7,000 on accessories for an office it was about to leave and used the redress fund for €700 meals for its chief executive and board members.

Thomas Byrne, the Fianna Fáil education spokesman, said Caranua’s “outrageous” spending must be examined by the public accounts committee.

The agency administers a €110 million fund set up to pay for the health, housing and educational needs of survivors. Caranua’s only function is to divide the