A controversial banner that adorned the Ha’penny Bridge has been put into permanent storage after Dublin City Council found it was in breach of its own planning guidelines.

Taxpayers have paid out €1m to cover the initial cost of ensuring the safety of residents in the Longboat Quay apartment block which was found to be a firetrap last year, the Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday.

There is quiet confidence but no certainty of success on the part of the Irish delegation in Geneva ahead of Uefa’s long-awaited announcement this lunchtime of the host nations for the European Championship finals of 2020.