#Government spending

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

'Nobody said stop': HSE paid €15m to now-defunct firm without a contract for respiratory sensors
'Nobody said stop': HSE paid €15m to now-defunct firm without a contract for respiratory sensors
The Public Accounts Committee heard today that there is no hope of recovering the loss as the company has now collapsed

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025

Jack Chambers orders ministers to beef up spending controls
Jack Chambers orders ministers to beef up spending controls
Public expenditure minister reiterates need for government departments to show value for money amid record level of capital funding

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Firm that broadcasts Dáil and Seanad sessions declines to renew 'unsustainable' contract
Firm that broadcasts Dáil and Seanad sessions declines to renew 'unsustainable' contract
It comes as the 20 or so workers who manage the live broadcast claim they are currently being paid half the standard industry rate for comparable roles

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

C&AG: Properties used by IPAS lacked proper documentation
C&AG: Properties used by IPAS lacked proper documentation
Due diligence documentation on 20 sample properties used by the International Protection Accommodation Service was 'significantly incomplete'

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

OPW approved building of €71m children's science museum, exposing taxpayer to 'unnecessary risk'
OPW approved building of €71m children's science museum, exposing taxpayer to 'unnecessary risk'
C&AG report found OPW 'effectively took on the obligations attaching to the project' without applying the 'safeguards designed to ensure public funds are used effectively and efficiently' 

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Children’s hospital may begin treating patients next spring
Children’s hospital may begin treating patients next spring
HSE chief Bernard Gloster said 'you couldn't but be embarrassed by' 'failings between CHI and parents' but denied the CHI orthopaedic surgeries scandals were the cause of its planned merger into the HSE

Sun, 28 Sep, 2025

Stardust nightclub fire
Cost of televising Oireachtas proceedings went over budget by €1.5m last year, PAC told
The Public Accounts Committee was also tole that an infamous €336,000 bike shed at Dail Eireann now represents 'the number one attraction for visitors at Leinster House'

Thu, 25 Sep, 2025

Spring weather Mar 14th 2025
Snipers earn €17k to kill 118 deer in Phoenix Park, including fawns only months old
In October 2023, a report compiled by UCD found that the way deer were being targeted for culls up to 2018 was 'not a recommended approach'

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Government warns departments on runaway spending ahead of Budget 2026
Government warns departments on runaway spending ahead of Budget 2026
Cabinet warned runaway overspending across health, housing, and education could limit new policies in Budget 2026 without major savings

Sat, 20 Sep, 2025

Department of Education 
'Competency' of State bodies questioned after almost double the contract value spent on IT project
The department's general secretary said there had been 'clear justification' for the changes, which had given rise 'to significant added value to the ETB sector' with 'full value for money' having been achieved

Thu, 18 Sep, 2025

Earth Movers
Mick Clifford: Confusion and frantic activity at Department of Housing
A new regulation was brought into force in what appears to be such a cack-handed manner that it has now put the validity of planning permissions since August 6 in some peril

Thu, 11 Sep, 2025

Leinster House security hut
Security hut drainage to be dug up to deal with stagnant water odour
The pavement and granite around the security pavilion have been marked off with work expected to begin by the end of September

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Woman uses her cell phone application connected to her car.
Government expected to tender for upgrade of country's public warning system
A Cell broadcast Warning System is more sophisticated than the existing system and does not get impacted by mobile network capacity, congestion or SMS character limits

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

US-IRELAND-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-MARTIN
Department spent over €1m on St Patrick's Day events at Irish embassies and consulates
The biggest spend came for an event at Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York City, costing a total of €59,800

Thu, 04 Sep, 2025

Irish police
€3.6m in overpayments made to gardaí or civilians since 2023
The average overpayment to a garda was around €1,870 while the average overpayment for a civilian member was €1,580

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

6/12/2012 Department of Social Welfares Offices
Department tenders for €250k 'cyber crime disruption' service to tackle scammers
The Department of Social Protection wants the service to have 'proactive phishing detection' and an ability to automatically identify fraudulent websites

Mon, 01 Sep, 2025

Government to spend €650k on efforts to cut bird and hare strikes at military airbase
Government to spend €650k on efforts to cut bird and hare strikes at military airbase
A Bird Control Unit (BCU) is stationed at the airbase, tasked with keeping the area free of birds and other wildlife with the aim of avoiding strikes that can cause significant damage to aircraft and result in jet engines losing power

Wed, 27 Aug, 2025

File Photo Gerard Craughwell Not Running For President. End.
Craughwell calls for wage hike for TDs and senators and restoration of pre-crash allowances
Gerard Craughwell said: 'I know that some members of the public would be pretty pissed off about it, but that's irrelevant to me'

Thu, 07 Aug, 2025

Revenue audit finds nearly €1.7m in wage overpayments to its staff
Revenue audit finds nearly €1.7m in wage overpayments to its staff
The audit report revealed that 61 Revenue employees had received overpayments in excess of €5,000

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Dripping Faucet with Water Drop
'It's crazy': Mother and her newborn without water for six days in North Cork village
Uisce Éireann has halved its repair crews in the Fermoy area despite frequent failures of the ageing water main in Ballyhooly

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Government departments approved €23k pay hike for Housing Agency's new boss
Government departments approved €23k pay hike for Housing Agency's new boss
Martin Whelan had 'requested a review of the remuneration package', according to the Housing Agency

Mon, 28 Jul, 2025

'Challenges ahead' for An Post, says Taoiseach
'Challenges ahead' for An Post, says Taoiseach
Micheál Martin says he has 'confidence' in the board and chief executive of the semi-State company

Wed, 16 Jul, 2025

Mick Clifford: An Post is indeed doing fine, but the company’s original business is in bad shape
Mick Clifford: An Post is indeed doing fine, but the company’s original business is in bad shape
An Post has accelerated diversification away from mail delivery and into ecommerce and financial services

Wed, 16 Jul, 2025

Israel-Hamas conflict
TD asks why civil service did not notice €1.4m payment gap in just 19 employees' pensions
PAC also hears that the number of similarly affected civil servants or ministers is unlikely to be as many as the 13,000 mentioned by Jack Chambers earlier this year

Thu, 10 Jul, 2025

Students on semiar
State agency to set up €2m programme to train teachers how to handle 'crisis situations'
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) said training should also be conveyed on safe and appropriate physical restraint in schools

Wed, 09 Jul, 2025

Children's spinal surgeries concerns
'I have nothing to hide': New role for former chief of scandal-hit CHI cost State €123k in legal fees
Eilish Hardiman’s contract was renewed  amid several scandals at CHI, including the insertion of non-medical grade springs into the spines of children during surgery and the alleged carrying out of unnecessary hip dysplasia surgeries on other children

Thu, 03 Jul, 2025

'No guarantee costs relating to Arts Council's €6.6m botched IT project have bottomed out'
'No guarantee costs relating to Arts Council's €6.6m botched IT project have bottomed out'
Minister says 'it would be a bit foolhardy of me to say, everything as it is now, that we have full transparency and all the facts'

Wed, 02 Jul, 2025

Legal spending on botched Arts Council IT system almost double what was previously reported
Legal spending on botched Arts Council IT system almost double what was previously reported
Issues with the abandoned IT project first came to light in February

Tue, 01 Jul, 2025

Couple push for drug that slows down muscular dystrophy to be made available in Ireland
Couple push for drug that slows down muscular dystrophy to be made available in Ireland
'The drug Givinostat has been brought into parts of Britain. We want that too, but we need the government to pay for it,' said Una Ennis

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Businessperson Calculating Invoice
Call for taskforce that has oversight for capital projects
Department of Education spent €5.5m on 20 projects which were not compliant with procurement in 2023

Sun, 29 Jun, 2025

British Irish Council summit
Vat reductions for small businesses and changes to carer's allowance to form part of the budget
Reductions in education, health, and childcare costs also planned

Wed, 25 Jun, 2025

Oireachtas committee to see Arts Council chief's emails warning about botched €6.6m IT system
Oireachtas committee to see Arts Council chief's emails warning about botched €6.6m IT system
Almost 60 pieces of correspondence — some dating as far back as 2021 — have been handed over to the Oireachtas arts committee

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

US import tariffs
Ministers will be warned to focus on getting value for money
Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers will tell ministers they must ensure spending adheres to the €100bn-plus ceiling set in Budget 2025

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Department head 'unhappy' about housing charity leaving hotel it bought empty for three years
Department head 'unhappy' about housing charity leaving hotel it bought empty for three years
The 20-bedroom Latchford’s Hotel on Dublin’s Baggot Street has remained vacant since 2022 in the aftermath of financial governance scandals which have shaken the Peter McVerry Trust

Thu, 19 Jun, 2025

Court orders HSE to pay Wicklow firm almost €3m for breach of covid ventilators contract
Court orders HSE to pay Wicklow firm almost €3m for breach of covid ventilators contract
The arbitrator ruling upon the case also directed that the HSE be held liable for all legal costs resulting from the action, expected to be an additional €3m

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Mick Clifford: Arts Council CEO Maureen Kennelly was an easy target for minister
S Mick Clifford: Arts Council CEO Maureen Kennelly was an easy target for minister
Minister O'Donovan has thrown Arts Council's Maureen Kennelly under the bus rather than properly deal with departmental dysfunction, writes Mick Clifford

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

OPW spends over €200k in five years on National Gallery's lighting system
OPW spends over €200k in five years on National Gallery's lighting system
A database of spending shows nearly €92,000 was spent on track lighting repair in 2021

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Cityweat Hotel
Government to buy Citywest Hotel for €148.2m
Last week, protesters against the purchase of the hotel gathered outside Leinster House

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

'Radical' solutions required to tackle 'emergency' in energy, water, and transport
S 'Radical' solutions required to tackle 'emergency' in energy, water, and transport
Accelerating infrastructure task force member Sean O'Driscoll believes the Government should consider increasing investment in infrastructure to up to 8% of GDP

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Sean O’Driscoll: 'Ireland needs radical action to end its infrastructure crisis' 
Sean O’Driscoll: 'Ireland needs radical action to end its infrastructure crisis' 
The ESRI chairman says the Government must accept there is a 'national crisis in Irish infrastructure'

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Cork to Limerick road will impact hundreds of farms and dozens of property owners
Cork to Limerick road will impact hundreds of farms and dozens of property owners
Scheme could cost between €1bn and €3bn to deliver

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Tariffs represent 'most serious challenge to transatlantic economic relations in generations'
Tariffs represent 'most serious challenge to transatlantic economic relations in generations'
Tánaiste insists that the EU must remain steadfast in pursuing “substantive, calm, measured, and comprehensive dialogue” with the US

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Mick Clifford: Kyle Hayes got community service. But what exactly will he be doing?
Mick Clifford: Kyle Hayes got community service. But what exactly will he be doing?
When the main thrust of penal policy in government is to build more prisons, it appears highly questionable that there continues to be a failure to properly utilise the alternatives

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Cianan Brennan: Why didn't government admit its error with biometric public services cards?
Cianan Brennan: Why didn't government admit its error with biometric public services cards?
Data Protection Commission slapped a fine of €550,000 — more than half the maximum allowable — on the State

Fri, 13 Jun, 2025

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