Department’s €130k ‘turf agent’ a masterclass in loose oversight
Plus: Jeffrey Donaldson’s Down home on the market, Alan Shatter’s mixed debut as a football hack, and Ireland-Israel game nets a big viewership
Comptroller and Auditor General
‘State bodies need to know they are being watched’: Government TD launches public spending site
Backbencher wants to create ‘panopticon’ for State entities and says Taoiseach approves
Ministers must not be spared blame when taxpayers money is wasted
Ministers set the policies that civil servant implement
Annual revenue for GoSafe speed camera operator surges towards €30m
Two cameras, in Co Mayo and Co Kilkenny, were raising €40,000 and €32,000 respectively in speeding fines per week, report shows
Defence Forces purchase of armoured vehicles wasted ‘millions in taxpayer funds’
Vehicles suffered frequent mechanical issues, and offer of donation to the Ukrainian Armed Forces was declined
Just €109,000 of €3.9m overpaid to car dealers for EV scheme has been recovered
Scheme to encourage sales of electric vehicles relied on self-declaration to avoid breaches of state-aid rules
OPW paid large Revenue settlement over renting properties to staff at below market rates
C&AG report also shows ‘loss of value’ from Defence Forces’ purchase of armoured vehicle fleet
State paid millions to asylum seeker housing firms after cancelling contracts
‘No value’ secured from deals which represented ‘substantial loss to the taxpayers’
CervicalCheck claims cost State nearly €19m – C&AG report
Figures include €6.6m in damages paid to people who took legal action over 2018 smear test scandal
Substantial sums paid to asylum seeker accommodation providers represented ‘no value’
Settlements were reached with three providers who sued after precontract deals cancelled, State spending watchdog says
Gardaí open €60,000 fraud investigation at greyhound racing tracks
Comptroller and Auditor General Séamus McCarthy says case involves cash handling in stadiums
Permits revoked for more than 350 people to work as security guards
Regulator concludes proof of training provided to underpin application for licence fraudulent
Fisheries staff got €40,000 in ‘bounties’ for collecting salmon tags, Comptroller says
Payments were made to Inland Fisheries Ireland personnel by State research body, the Marine Institute, as part of research programme
Bord Bia spent €1.2m without following proper tendering processes in 2025
Agency marketing Irish food globally identifies almost €4 million of non-compliant spending in the past two years
An Garda Síochána underreported its breaches of procurement rules by more than €11m
Force cites ‘insufficient time’ to run procurement process on hotels for Europa League final in 2024
Garda overtime paperwork missing in majority of cases tested by auditors
C&AG found examples of members paid for more hours than were authorised
Fresh High Court dispute over settlement payment to former CHI business manager
Anita Little had claimed in initial case that proceedings against her followed instruction to delist spinal patients
Former UL president gets order halting new investigation over whether PAC was misled
Judge says Kerstin Mey has a ‘fair’ and ‘serious’ case that new investigation is not permitted
TU Dublin facing threat of potential penalties over financial deficit
Regulator could send in reviewer to institution, which is already under special monitoring
Hospitals write off millions as health insurers decline to pay invoices
Politicians on Dáil PAC express strong concern as revenue forgone at a time of financial strain for the health sector
Ineligible expenditure of nearly €20,000 returned to Skillnet following investigation
Investigation significantly constrained due to persistent non-cooperation, TDs told
Hospital employee flagged that €30,000 Aramark payment to CHI could be reviewed by watchdog
PAC to consider emails about payment from company that ran restaurant service at Crumlin
Trinity College Dublin paid €77,000 to Revenue over staff accommodation provided by university
College subsidiary also paid €922,000 to Revenue over VAT issue
Number of RTÉ workers earning more than €100,000 increased more than a third in past five years
Kevin Bakhurst says broadcaster has ‘paid a price’ for transparency over Derek Mooney’s earnings
RTÉ to be brought under remit of State’s independent spending watchdog
Minister for Media Patrick O’Donovan will seek approval for a new Broadcasting Bill at Cabinet
National Lottery: harmless fun or gateway to gambling – and do good causes get much money?
The lotto operator has clashed with bookmakers by demanding a ban on betting on its draws
Payment of €30,000 to children’s hospital group was to settle accounts, not for staff party, company says
Public Accounts Committee expected to question background to payment made to Children’s Health Ireland
The Irish Times view on the Children’s Science Centre: halt this fiasco
Abandoning this undeliverable project is clearly the public-spirited thing to do
Public may be subsidising concerts and sports events due to Garda undercharging for policing
Force recoups money from organisers at €45 per hour for each member deployed, but this does not include overtime and allowances
Fire safety issue forces Peter McVerry homeless service to move tenants from Dublin property
St Stephen’s Green hostel being emptied in stages as a precaution
Beaumont Hospital paid €1.5m to company in which 20 staff were directors without competitive process
Financial statement reveals hospital was hit by a €40,000 fraud last year
Children’s Health Ireland accepted €30,000 from concession holder for staff Christmas party
Office of Public Works expected to warn that Ireland must be ready for increased flooding arising from climate change
Claims of fraud and blackmail at State fisheries body brings infighting into the public
Claims of fraud and blackmail surfaced at an employment dispute this week bringing infighting at Inland Fisheries Ireland into public
Planned location of National Children’s Science Centre ‘doesn’t make any sense’ says Explorium boss
Planned location of National Children’s Science Centre ‘doesn’t make any sense’ says Explorium boss
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