[Dotsey]

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

[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 )
- " 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.

[Chucky the tree]

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

[SMASH THE UNIONS]

Originally Posted by Chucky the tree

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

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.

[Chucky the tree]

Originally Posted by SMASH THE UNIONS

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.

[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?

[Chucky the tree]

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

[Dotsey]

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

[Buttonftw]

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?

[SMASH THE UNIONS]

Originally Posted by Chucky the tree

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...

[ResearchWill]

Originally Posted by 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?

I would assume it was a couple of these http://www.fileone.ie/Martin-Yale-Le...-Ref-1616.html

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

[SMASH THE UNIONS]

Originally Posted by ResearchWill

I would assume it was a couple of these http://www.fileone.ie/Martin-Yale-Le...-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.

[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?

Originally Posted by Dotsey

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

[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?

[BKtje]

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