Government department spent €500,000 extra on utility bills during 2020

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy asked about utility costs at every department, along with any ventilation or air-filtration systems which had been put in place during the pandemic.

A key Government department’s spending on electricity and heating increased by just under €500,000 in 2020, despite the majority of civil servants working from home during the pandemic.

The Department of Social Protection, the body responsible for the key Pandemic Unemployment Payment welfare support, spent €4m on utility costs for its various buildings across 2020, up from €3.5m in the previous 12 months.