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Dept. of Taoiseach spends €17m in 2011

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  • 25-04-2012 11:53pm
    #1
    Hannibal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,815 ✭✭✭


    from Wednesdays Irish Examimer


    "Taoiseach Enda Kenny has defended details of his office’s €17m spend last year which includes funds spent on everything from presents for visiting dignitaries to toilet cleaner.
    Mr Kenny’s spokesman said the department’s spend was down 13% compared to the previous year.

    The €17.6m included large bills paid out for the staging of US President Barack Obama’s address at College Green in Dublin (€558,934), 30 armchairs for a department room (€8,929) and a carpet for another government room (€9,377).

    The year’s spend also includes invoices paid out for pest control, the cleaning of windows and plaques,and even the cost of food and refreshments for cabinet meetings.

    Details of the department’s costs emerged in newspaper reports yesterday with the opposition questioning if Mr Kenny’s office was getting the best value for money.

    Mr Kenny appeared before an Oireachtas committee last week and said spending in his department would be kept to a minimum on preparations for occasions such as Ireland’s hosting of the EU presidency next year.

    Costs footed by taxpayers last year include the rental of a water cooler (€334), new cables for a vacuum cleaner (€173), white hand towels (€431), letter openers (€469), and glass collection fees (€158).

    The invoices paid by Mr Kenny’s department include one box of Ocean Toilet Duck (€36.91), damage from bleach to worker’s clothes (€48), rodent control measures (€884), and a dust control floor mat (€30.25).

    State occasions warranted bigger outlays with the visit of Prince Albert of Monaco and his wife Charlene Wittstock costing €5,954, while the inauguration of President Michael D Higgins cost €65,856.

    Mr Kenny’s spokesman said: "We’re very conscious of making savings. They will continue to be made where they can be made. It’s worth noting there were also three state visits last year also."

    _______________________________________________________________

    This spending puts Aengus O'Snodaigh's €50k bill for ink over a two year period into perspective when we see the spending that exists in some government departments.

    I presume he didn't go to Des Kelly for his €9,377 carpet for one room or to Bargaintown for his 30 armchairs
    Tagged:


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    #2
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    I hate to be the one to point it out yet again, but seriously these civil servants are taking the taxpayer for absolute fools. They are riding the gravy train first class using our tax money as fuel. Such vulgar and brash displays of wastage would be infuriating even at the best of times, but this country is in the deepest financial trouble since its establishment. It's a slap in the face to demand us to pay more taxes when we are struggling along, and for what?
    - "food and refreshments for cabinet meetings."
    - "white hand towels" (at a staggering €431 :eek:)
    - " rodent control measures" (still plenty of rats walking the halls of Leinster house if you ask me)

    Unbelievable. I had high hopes for the new government but Fine Gael seem to have been corrupted by the "free" money and perks. I didn't expect anything else from Labour. They are puppets of the unions and the decent, hard-working man can go emigrate as far as they are concerned.

    Admittedly some of those costs were a once off, such as staging the Obama visit. Although I would have liked to have seen the Americans pay for that. Sadly we don't yet a leader with cajones to make such requests.


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    #3
    Chucky the tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,341 ✭✭✭✭Chucky the tree


    Should the government just not bother bleaching their toliet and lets rats run around the place? :confused:


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    #4
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    Chucky the tree wrote: »
    Should the government just not bother bleaching their toliet and lets rats run around the place? :confused:

    Of course the Dept will have to make petty purchases for the upkeep of the office, but it seems that they always take the most expensive option: €469 spent on letter openers?? Ever hear of using your hands like 99.99% of the rest of the population? Come on, that is not justifiable, no matter how you try to twist it. Is Enda's secretary scared of getting a paper cut? Boo-hoo. There are families worried about how they're going to keep the electricity going next month.

    It's becoming increasingly clear that there is a small circle of elites at the top of Irish society - the Inner Party - then there are the overpaid civil servants - the Outer Party - then there is you and me, the Proles, slaving away like hamsters on a wheel to support the top layers.


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    #5
    Chucky the tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,341 ✭✭✭✭Chucky the tree


    SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »
    Of course the Dept will have to make petty purchases for the upkeep of the office, but it seems that they always take the most expensive option: €469 spent on letter openers?? Ever hear of using your hands like 99.99% of the rest of the population? Come on, that is not justifiable, no matter how you try to twist it. Is Enda's secretary scared of getting a paper cut? Boo-hoo. There are families worried about how they're going to keep the electricity going next month.

    It's becoming increasingly clear that there is a small circle of elites at the top of Irish society - the Inner Party - then there are the overpaid civil servants - the Outer Party - then there is you and me, the Proles, slaving away like hamsters on a wheel to support the top layers.


    If you get a huge amount of mail a letter opener makes a big difference actually.


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    #6
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    Here's a letter opener for under $2 on Amazon Buy this Enda!. You could probably even go cheaper, that's the first one on the list. Buy 10 of them for the equivalent of €15. Where is this €469 figure the government spent coming from? Are their letter openers made of ivory or gold?


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    #7
    Chucky the tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,341 ✭✭✭✭Chucky the tree


    SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »
    Here's a letter opener for under $2 on Amazon Buy this Enda!. You could probably even go cheaper, that's the first one on the list. Buy 10 of them for the equivalent of €15. Where is this €469 figure the government spent coming from? Are their letter openers made of ivory or gold?


    Does that one include delivery? Unless you know the exact details then it's very hard to comment, if they bought one or two for that price obviously it's terrible but without knowing how many they bought or for how many people can't really say much.


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    #8
    Hannibal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,815 ✭✭✭Hannibal


    they list "Rodent control measures", yet on the Oireachtas report I could quite clearly see Fine Gael deputies still sitting in the Dáil. So their "rodent control measures" obviously don't work


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    #9
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Is this going to be like the "disgust" at the spending on the government jet when it would've cost more to send them in business class?


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    #10
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    Chucky the tree wrote: »
    Does that one include delivery? Unless you know the exact details then it's very hard to comment, if they bought one or two for that price obviously it's terrible but without knowing how many they bought or for how many people can't really say much.

    $2 = roughly €1.51
    €469 / €1.51 means Enda bought 310 letter openers. How many does the government need? What happened to the old ones? You can be guaranteed they will spend another €469 next year too and we are expected to not ask any questions. Can't wait for this exact same thread again next year...


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    #11
    ResearchWill
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,111 ✭✭✭ResearchWill


    SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »
    Here's a letter opener for under $2 on Amazon Buy this Enda!. You could probably even go cheaper, that's the first one on the list. Buy 10 of them for the equivalent of €15. Where is this €469 figure the government spent coming from? Are their letter openers made of ivory or gold?

    I would assume it was a couple of these http://www.fileone.ie/Martin-Yale-Letter-Opener-Manual-Feed-W250xD180xH100mm-1.3kg-Ref-1616.html

    In a office receiving lots of mail it would be a good idea.


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    #12
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    ResearchWill wrote: »
    I would assume it was a couple of these http://www.fileone.ie/Martin-Yale-Letter-Opener-Manual-Feed-W250xD180xH100mm-1.3kg-Ref-1616.html

    In a office receiving lots of mail it would be a good idea.

    I never knew such a machine existed. Again, it's an example of the government taking the expensive option. I might enquire what letter opener exactly did the government buy under the FOI act. On a related note, has the Taoiseach's Dept not heard of email? I though inefficient snail mail was more or less obsolete these days.


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    #13
    StupidLikeAFox
    Registered Users Posts: 7,699 ✭✭✭StupidLikeAFox


    The letter openers were the only things that seemed outlandish on that list tbh, but it was one of those automatic letter openers and it saved someone half and hour a day would it still be a waste?
    Dotsey wrote: »
    I presume he didn't go to Des Kelly for his €9,377 carpet for one room or to Bargaintown for his 30 armchairs

    This is a room in our national houses of parlaiment, it would be worse if they kitted it out in cheap ****e tbh. The armchairs cost a little under €300 quid each, thats not a huge amount for decent furniture that has to last a while


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    #14
    Executive Steve
    Registered Users Posts: 3,373 ✭✭✭Executive Steve


    Mr Kenny’s spokesman said the department’s spend was down 13% compared to the previous year.



    Surely that's a good thing?


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    #15
    BKtje
    Registered Users Posts: 8,041 ✭✭✭BKtje


    Whole load of nothing here really. Can't say i'd complain about a single item there.


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    #16
    BOHtox
    Registered Users Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭BOHtox


    It doesn't really put anything in to perspective. What was the spending over previous terms?

    EDIT: just seen it was down 13%


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    #17
    nuac
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,769 Mod ✭✭✭✭nuac


    Havent seen it on t his board but I think on radio there was reference to a footwear allowances. If so, anybody know why?


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    #18
    Pete_Cavan
    Registered Users Posts: 6,768 ✭✭✭Pete_Cavan


    Spending down 13% when compared with 2010 despite having costs associated with the inauguration of President Michael D Higgins and hosting US President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Albert of Monaco in 2011, fair play Enda.


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    #19
    Going Forward
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    ResearchWill wrote: »
    I would assume it was a couple of these http://www.fileone.ie/Martin-Yale-Letter-Opener-Manual-Feed-W250xD180xH100mm-1.3kg-Ref-1616.html

    In a office receiving lots of mail it would be a good idea.

    If they are electrica/mechanical machines, perhaps a civil servant could have envisaged that the expense might raise some eyebrows and have more accurately listed them as such to avoid this type of discussion.

    In private enterprise, yes, the machines may be helpful, and it would be no one elses business how many were purchased and at what cost.

    The government's expenses are being paid for by bailout funds and exchequer returns.

    Again, its easy to spend what comes easy.


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    #20
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    Very surprised at the blasé reaction here. Complacency is the order of the day.

    You can't blame the media here. They are fully doing their job by alerting the public to the extortionate abuse of public funds. Posters must not realise it is their money being wasted. If a politician physically dipped his hand into your pocket to grab your money so he could buy a luxurious €9000 carpet, you would stop him. Then why do you allow this corruption to continue? That's 90 household charges on one carpet. Incredible.


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    #21
    StupidLikeAFox
    Registered Users Posts: 7,699 ✭✭✭StupidLikeAFox


    SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »
    Very surprised at the blasé reaction here. Complacency is the order of the day.

    You can't blame the media here. They are fully doing their job by alerting the public to the extortionate abuse of public funds. Posters must not realise it is their money being wasted. If a politician physically dipped his hand into your pocket to grab your money so he could buy a luxurious €9000 carpet, you would stop him. Then why do you allow this corruption to continue? That's 90 household charges on one carpet. Incredible.

    Bearing in mind that you do not know the room it went into, the area it was to cover or the quality of the carpet which was purchased, what, in your own opinion, would be an acceptable price to pay for the carpet?


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    #22
    MadsL
    Registered Users Posts: 20,299 ✭✭✭✭MadsL


    ColHol wrote: »
    Bearing in mind that you do not know the room it went into, the area it was to cover or the quality of the carpet which was purchased, what, in your own opinion, would be an acceptable price to pay for the carpet?

    You won't get an answer beyond a tabloid headline. The hyperbole in this thread is astonishing, I cannot see an issue with any of these expenses. It costs to run a country. Unless you suggest not inviting heads of state to visit.


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    #23
    Benny_Cake
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,205 ✭✭✭Benny_Cake


    Only the permanently outraged could find problems with a Department actually reducing it's expenditure. I don't see anything out of the ordinary here.


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    #24
    creedp
    Registered Users Posts: 5,649 ✭✭✭creedp


    SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »
    Admittedly some of those costs were a once off, such as staging the Obama visit. Although I would have liked to have seen the Americans pay for that. Sadly we don't yet a leader with cajones to make such requests.

    A bit of reality here I think .. can you imagine asking a visiting dignatory to pay for his own visit ... that's how international diplomancy operates allright. I'm sure you get lots of visitors to your house when you ask them to bring thier own grub/drink/jacks roll/etc!


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    #25
    FreudianSlippers
    Registered Users Posts: 20,397 ✭✭✭✭FreudianSlippers


    Frankly, I don't think €17m is that much money for the Department to spend...


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    #26
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    FreudianSlippers wrote: »
    Frankly, I don't think €17m is that much money for the Department to spend...

    How many more millions would it take before you decide "ok, that's a bit too much?"

    People have to look at what the money is being spent on, rather than just the figures themselves. Letter openers, towels, water-coolers, armchairs - all running into the hundreds. Did they not have these items last year?

    The Irish have been exposed to gombeenism for so long that now we are immune to it. We expect politicians to fleece the system and extract as much money as possible before they are inevitable chucked out at election time for broken promises, so their brother or son can have a go on the gravy train.


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    #27
    Going Forward
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    ColHol wrote: »
    Bearing in mind that you do not know the room it went into, the area it was to cover or the quality of the carpet which was purchased, what, in your own opinion, would be an acceptable price to pay for the carpet?

    But why dont we know? Was that information not sought, or given but not published?

    I'd say you could cover Croke park with a 9000E carpet.

    Again, some further information about what room etc, would help us ordinary folk to understand how it could cost so much for a carpet.

    At least I hope it came from an Irish supplier/manufacturer.


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    #28
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    Office spends money on stuff.
    More at at 11.

    The feigned outrage on this thread is bizarre


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    #29
    SMASH THE UNIONS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 210 ✭✭SMASH THE UNIONS


    Lockstep wrote: »
    Office spends our money on frivolous stuff while austerity measures are being forced upon the rest of the country
    More at at 11.

    FYP to reflect reality.

    I also take offense by your implication that my outrage is feigned.
    Anybody who isn't annoyed by this doesn't pay tax so is either
    (a) on the dole
    (b) living abroad
    (c) evading tax

    [MOD]Don't do FYP. Posters say what they say, and you can either quote them straight or not quote them.[/MOD]


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    #30
    dashboard_hula
    Registered Users Posts: 453 ✭✭dashboard_hula


    I whinge constantly about the lack of detail included in government expense reports. I'm pretty happy with everything listed here, austerity measures or not, there's nothing there that speaks to over indulgence, it looks like a typical large organisations necessary overheads. Down 13% even with 3 state visits.

    No issues here. And I pay taxes. Wind your neck in.


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    #31
    southsiderosie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,565 ✭✭✭southsiderosie


    SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »
    FYP to reflect reality.

    I also take offense by your implication that my outrage is feigned.
    Anybody who isn't annoyed by this doesn't pay tax so is either
    (a) on the dole
    (b) living abroad
    (c) evading tax

    MOD NOTE:

    Can you calm down and stop making sweeping claims about other posters? If you are upset, fine, but don't make assumptions about other people's motivations here.


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