Irish Examiner view: State overspending smacks of carelessness
This week alone, it was revealed that the Department of Social Protection and Revenue had both overpaid millions of euro of the State's money. Stock picture: Pexels
Reports in recent days suggest a certain carelessness in some parts of the state apparatus when it comes to financial management.
Yesterday, for instance, we learned that the Department of Social Protection had made overpayments to social welfare recipients amounting to over €157m last year.Â
Earlier in the week, it emerged that the Revenue Commissioners had overpaid their own staff to the tune of €1.7m by the end of 2023 — more than one in seven members of its workforce was getting paid above their proper salaries.
The Revenue Commissioners are not known for a sense of humour when dealing with citizens who are not tax compliant, which makes some of the cases involving its own staff all the more astonishing — there were overpayments of €55,645 to 100 individuals, for instance.
It would be understandable if readers were gloating at the notion of the Revenue Commissioners making mistakes with their finances, but the wider context here is very concerning.Â
In explaining the overpayments the Revenue Commissioners have pointed to guidelines governing work processes, procedures, and controls for the management of overpayments being “dated and fragmented”, a complaint which is echoed in several other state bodies.
For example, we learned this week that An Garda SĂochána are now unlikely to reach the recruitment target of 5,000 new gardaĂ, which was promoted by the Government earlier this year.Â
Disappointing though this is in itself, the reasons for that failure need to be examined closely, and it is worth considering the comments of Elaine Byrne of the Policing Authority in that regard.
Ms Byrne has stated that issues such as recruitment, budgeting, and investment in the Force were fundamental and urgent challenges, adding:Â
The Revenue Commissioners and the Gardaà are not the only large organisations whose information management systems are not fit for purpose — this is a recurring theme with the health service also. Significant investment is needed in these areas to bring these sectors into the 21st century.
This is a time of year when purchases of school books and uniforms begin to focus the attention of parents all over Ireland, and considerations of expenditure do not cease when students enter third level either.
Hence the timely warning from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) this week: The organisation has acknowledged that the hunt for student accommodation is ramping up ahead of September, with students under pressure to find a place to live due to the shortage of rentals available because of the ongoing accommodation and housing crisis.
As a consequence, the CCPC is warning students to be extra vigilant when it comes to accommodation, with deputy director of financial education Muriel Dolan offering pertinent advice: “If the landlord claims to be out of town or living abroad and cannot show the property in person, this is a major red flag, and you should be very careful.
It is disappointing that a consumer protection organisation has to warn prospective tenants about the lengths to which criminals are willing to go to, but that is the sad reality of modern life. When the CCPC must advise students to research a property to ensure it actually exists, or to make sure that keys issued work in a property’s locks, we have reached a level of fraud and deception which would have been difficult to imagine even a few years ago.
The CCPC has also advised students not to pay deposits with cash or Revolut, but to use a method which allows for refunds, such as bank-issued debit or credit cards.
Some readers may see such advice as superfluous, feeling no sensible person would offer cash as a deposit.
However, the housing crisis is so challenging that those desperate for accommodation feel every option must be considered, and every opportunity explored. That desperation is what these despicable criminals are seeking to exploit.
People in West Cork and beyond are coming together to support a young Beara girl who recently suffered life changing injuries in a farm accident.
Féile O’Sullivan, aged 13, had a double leg amputation and suffered serious abdominal injuries as a result of the accident. She has had multiple surgeries and faces more operations, as well as a significant period of rehabilitation. Going forward, she will also need specialised equipment and ongoing treatment.
Her local community has rowed in behind her and their generosity has been matched by many people beyond the Beara area on a GoFundMe page.
In an age marked by suspicion and distrust, with disinformation and bad actors working to a variety of malign agendas, it is uplifting to see a community support one of their own at a desperately difficult time. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had raised well over €300,000 and was still climbing; more power to all in Beara, and in particular to the O’Sullivans and Féile herself in her recovery.
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