Mel Brooks sang a wonderful ditty in his 1983 comedy To Be or Not to Be. In full Hitler garb, he looks sincerely into the camera and says “All I want is peace. Peace. Peace!’ Then comes the punchline: ‘A little piece of Poland, a little piece of France, A little piece of Portugal and Austria perchance...”

Millions of euro is being potentially lost each year on providing vital council services in Co Cork because hundreds of businesses are not paying rates due to a backlog in valuations by a government-run department.

A GAA club could run its finances better than a Government agency, the Dáil’s public spending watchdog heard today.

CONSTRUCTION work will have started by this time next year on 16 of the 53 State departments and agencies selected for decentralisation, it was disclosed yesterday by the group implementing the ambitious plan.