General election costs taxpayer €33m — so far

THIS year’s general election cost the taxpayer at least €33 million to stage, with the final bill not yet known.

But the chairman of a prominent Oireachtas committee has queried whether value for money was achieved for the outlay, saying his constituency got “crap facilities” in which to count votes.

The final cost of the election has not yet been determined, but the Department of Finance says it has incurred a bill of €33.66m to date. Almost half of that sum — €14.7m — went to An Post to cover the cost of sending polling cards and election literature to voters.