Taxpayers pay €750k for politicians’ security

MORE than €750,000 has been spent on security measures at the private homes and constituency offices of six politicians since 2006.

It has emerged that the Office of Public Works oversaw expenditure of €765,495 on the private property of six unknown, senior politicians between 2006 and 2009.

Details of the spending on security measures were released to a transparency advocacy group, known as The Story, under Freedom of Information law. The information was only released following the intervention of Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly after the OPW refused the original FOI request and also rejected a subsequent internal appeal on security grounds.

The records were ultimately released with the consent of the OPW and the provision that no information about the identity of any individual politician or the location of their home or office be disclosed.

However, it is believed that expenditure is normally sanctioned by the OPW for security measures at the private homes and constituency offices of holders of the office of Taoiseach and Minister for Justice.

The records show one politician benefited from an overall total of €285,735 in expenditure on his home with the single biggest item or service costing €96,650.

Another politician had work costing €248,574 sanctioned by the OPW with one single bill costing €190,572.

A third member of the Oireachtas had security measures worth €137,800 carried out on his property.

Expenditure on the three other politicians ranged from €3,335 to €74,450.