€15m to run a referendum

The State's chief accountant has revealed the official cost of running a referendum.

The Comptroller and Auditor General said it costs around €15m to hold a nationwide vote.

Seamus McCarthy was taking questions at an Oireachtas committee when he said the State had spent €65m on elections in 2011 when Ireland elected a new Dáil and President and voted in two referendums.

He said the €15m cost for a single referendum may not tell the whole story.

"There may be local authority expenditure too, and costs associated with maintaining the register," he said.