Army cases delayed: Pay up to avert further actions

Even at this remove, the Army deafness claims stand as a defining moment: The official ineptitude that led to them and the opportunism that followed said a lot about this society. That fiasco cost €288.7m, of which €100.2m went to the legal professions.

Another scandal rooted in administrative hubris is unfolding. The Government has not resolved dozens of compensation cases based on EU law which says State workers cannot work more than 48 hours a week except in extreme circumstances. The European working time directive rule did not apply to armed forces but German soldiers won a European Court of Justice case and the exemption was ended. The ruling costs Germany €375m a year in extra payments and it was endorsed by a 2010 ECJ ruling which warned that Ireland cannot continue to ignore the ruling.