Dublin Port Company's expenses scandal

17-06-2019 09:38PM

It's now available on the RTÉ website to listen to, starting at 1:21:

Dublin Port Company expenses

One guy had €30,000 of spending on his credit account, which was all spent in the pub - or rather in a number of Dublin pubs. What fantastic financial control there that a guy can buy whatever he wants in the pub for himself and his colleagues (presumably) and get the Irish taxpayer to pay for it. Another one paid €1600 for a single hotel room in Chicago...

Yeah, they're taking the piss. And nothing will happen to them. Once in this country people were proud to only spend according to their needs. The 'waste not, want not' mentality which loads of older people still have. And there was also not a little patriotism when you were working for our (impoverished) state to live frugally if you were privileged enough for the taxpayer to be paying for you.

Jupiter Mulligan · 17-06-2019 10:24PM

Deleted User wrote: »

It's now available on the RTÉ website to listen to, starting at 1:21:

Dublin Port Company expenses

One guy had €30,000 of spending on his credit account, which was all spent in the pub - or rather in a number of Dublin pubs. What fantastic financial control there that a guy can buy whatever he wants in the pub for himself and his colleagues (presumably) and get the Irish taxpayer to pay for it. Another one paid €1600 for a single hotel room in Chicago...

Yeah, they're taking the piss. And nothing will happen to them. Once in this country people were proud to only spend according to their needs. The 'waste not, want not' mentality which loads of older people still have. And there was also not a little patriotism when you were working for our (impoverished) state to live frugally if you were privileged enough for the taxpayer to be paying for you.

Evidently there's absolutely no need for an investigation.

You have investigated the matter to your complete satisfaction and have decided that they're all guilty of corruption on a scale unseen since Al Capone fixed the 1931 All-Ireland Camogie final.

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 17-06-2019 10:40PM

Jupiter Mulligan wrote: »

Evidently there's absolutely no need for an investigation.

I dont think anybody here is calling for no investigation.

Probably most believe that any investigation is likely to be as useful as a hog roast at a bar mitzvah.

Yer Da sells Avon · 17-06-2019 10:41PM

touts wrote: »

You've got to hand it to Fine Gael. Any time they are in government they don't make many people rich. But the ones they do, boy they make them Millionaires.

_blaaz · 17-06-2019 10:43PM

biko wrote: »

Even though I'm very anti-EU maybe it's best to have the Germans rule us after all.

The way that airport in berlin has panned out and gone over budget,

makes simon harris look like a austere,penny pinching accountant

Jupiter Mulligan · 17-06-2019 11:07PM

Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote: »

I dont think anybody here is calling for no investigation.

Probably most believe that any investigation is likely to be as useful as a hog roast at a bar mitzvah.

Perhaps. But I gather that a couple of Dail Committees are getting excited at the chance of some cheap publicity and have decided to do a bit of investigating.

Some of us - a small minority admittedly - are interested in finding out the facts that lie behind the hysterical tabloid headlines, before we perform the predictable Boards.ie kneejerk.

Of course I, being a cynic, can't help wondering whether it was it a coincidence that this info was leaked into the public domain on the same weekend that the Minister for Transport had gifted €5m of taxpayers' funds to his colleague John Halligan's beloved Waterford airport.

But then again, the Minister for Transport wouldn't have anything to do with Dublin Port or the Sunday Independent, would he?

James Brown · 18-06-2019 02:25AM

Jupiter Mulligan wrote: »

Perhaps. But I gather that a couple of Dail Committees are getting excited at the chance of some cheap publicity and have decided to do a bit of investigating.

Some of us - a small minority admittedly - are interested in finding out the facts that lie behind the hysterical tabloid headlines, before we perform the predictable Boards.ie kneejerk.

Of course I, being a cynic, can't help wondering whether it was it a coincidence that this info was leaked into the public domain on the same weekend that the Minister for Transport had gifted €5m of taxpayers' funds to his colleague John Halligan's beloved Waterford airport.

But then again, the Minister for Transport wouldn't have anything to do with Dublin Port or the Sunday Independent, would he?

You honestly think people aren't interested and too eager to move on or people can be pretty sure nothing will come out of it and hope more situations might cause change due to the sheer weight?
TBF theres alot of sneaky greasy crony things going on and if we all stayed on sitserv and waited...well we'd still be waiting. Best to multitask.

I trust you aren't doing the investigating yourself, do you think we'll all be disinterested if any facts come out? If so we'll be interested and equally disappointed when nobody is held to account.

18-06-2019 08:03AM

The song and the credit card and general attitude is a big issue, the gardens and the rest that is different.

Effects · 18-06-2019 08:11AM

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

You can't blame anyone but the people for that clown. They just re-elected him.

Sonny noggs · 18-06-2019 08:17AM

Balanadan wrote: »

Currywurst for some, miniature German flags for others!

Swastikas for the rest?

knipex · 18-06-2019 09:10AM

Jupiter Mulligan wrote: »

Perhaps. But I gather that a couple of Dail Committees are getting excited at the chance of some cheap publicity and have decided to do a bit of public grandstanding.

ftfy

CrankyHaus · 18-06-2019 09:39AM

These mismanagement issues seem common enough with our Harbours and Ports, though due to its size Dublin Port's are on another level. Dun Laoghaire had similar problems, with staff suing for "PTSD" when it had to rein in the fun and games after Stena left and the money ran out, and beneath public attention some smaller ones around the country have been operated as rotten boroughs.

This suggests that the ownership model is the problem. We make each harbour and port a private company 100% owned by the state (typically through the Department of the Marine). This model has inadequate oversight and leaves the company officers to their own devices until the money runs out. This is unacceptable when it comes to assets we the taxpayer own and pay for.

Hector Savage · 18-06-2019 09:40AM

95k on credit card - plus his massive salary, a f*cking DISGRACE!
Wonder how much of those credit card expenses were on prostitutes ?
I'd say a good chunk ...

expectationlost · 18-06-2019 09:56AM

mariaalice wrote: »

The song and the credit card and general attitude is a big issue, the gardens and the rest that is different.

I don't think the gardens are different, yes it was spent on rearranging the whole grounds of their HQ as well as creating a garden but it seems just a little grand.

arctictree · 18-06-2019 10:12AM

How difficult is it to make sure a monopoly turns a profit? I doubt they even have a sales team.

18-06-2019 10:50AM

Hector Savage wrote: »

95k on credit card - plus his massive salary, a f*cking DISGRACE!
Wonder how much of those credit card expenses were on prostitutes ?
I'd say a good chunk ...

95k is possible, I ran up a good few quid on mine at different times on a few jobs and I'm nowhere near director level.

However everything has to have a paper trail and receipts. Years later I can still pull out and show a full & complete record of all spending.

18-06-2019 11:25AM

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

95k is possible, I ran up a good few quid on mine at different times on a few jobs and I'm nowhere near director level.

However everything has to have a paper trail and receipts. Years later I can still pull out and show a full & complete record of all spending.

I do about €3k per month on my company card, so the amount wouldn't concern me, nor would the dishwasher repair as that is most likely the office dishwasher.

€5.5k for a presumably business class flight to Chicago is excessive, but again, that wouldn't worry me too much. The €1500 hotel room would though.

My big question would be "Why" they are paying for the mayor to go to Chicago. Why didn't he pay for it and expense it himself? Why is a port company sending anyone to Chicago? was there a conference or was it just a jolly for a mate?

18-06-2019 11:29AM

Aegir wrote: »

€5.5k for a presumably business class flight to Chicago is excessive, but again, that wouldn't worry me too much. The €1500 hotel room would though.

My big question would be "Why" they are paying for the mayor to go to Chicago. Why didn't he pay for it and expense it himself? Why is a port company sending anyone to Chicago? was there a conference or was it just a jolly for a mate?

I agree. They should be able to show all receipts and a business justification for the spending.

It wouldn't be the first time somebody got a sweet jolly on the taxpayers expense.

3DataModem · 18-06-2019 11:34AM

Deleted User wrote: »

how would you even go about paying €5,500 for a flight to Chicago? .

Business class. Flew to LA last year for 4,500, so 5,500 not out of the question.

dudara · 18-06-2019 11:37AM

Internal and External Audit should be on top of this, to ensure that spend is in line with corporate policy. It sounds excessive, but we are missing a lot of details.

sbsquarepants · 18-06-2019 11:47AM

Hector Savage wrote: »

95k on credit card - plus his massive salary, a f*cking DISGRACE!
Wonder how much of those credit card expenses were on prostitutes ?
I'd say a good chunk ...

I don't know - I'd say the auld hoor business very much favours cash transactions;)

Hector Savage · 18-06-2019 11:55AM

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

95k is possible, I ran up a good few quid on mine at different times on a few jobs and I'm nowhere near director level.

However everything has to have a paper trail and receipts. Years later I can still pull out and show a full & complete record of all spending.

95k is obscene - on expenses ? this is apart from wage ???

Nah.... I spend about 6k on my CC a year.

And I pay for that myself.

You can really see the boom is back in Ireland, a throwaway attitude to money, massive amounts of money being dismissed as "not much".

Another crash imminent.

knipex · 18-06-2019 12:00PM

Aegir wrote: »

The €1500 hotel room would though.

Years ago I was involved in a job that meant I was in Frankfurt for a few days working with another company. They had a suite booked that was set up as an office with a conference rooms, 2 medium size offices with printers etc. Had about 20 people working out of it at various times, between an exhibition, various meetings and the hotel. Remember hearing they were paying about €1500 a day for the setup..

knipex · 18-06-2019 12:05PM

Hector Savage wrote: »

95k is obscene - on expenses ? this is apart from wage ???

Nah.... I spend about 6k on my CC a year.

And I pay for that myself.

You can really see the boom is back in Ireland, a throwaway attitude to money, massive amounts of money being dismissed as "not much".

Another crash imminent.

You do know what expenses are ??

How many flights would you do in a year at short notice, how many airport hotels would you stay in ??

I have a company credit card and have to account for every cent I spend on it. If the spending falls out side company approved policy I have to pay for it. I was away and paid for dinner on the card. I had 2 drinks, company policy only allows 1 so I had to pay back for the second one. I make nothing out of expenses..

As I said in a previous post, most months the vast majority of the expenditure on my card isn't even for me. Last month it was used to pay for a garage repair, and 4 tyres for one of our vans.. Its used to order office stationary. flights and hotels for other people in my department.

I have my own personal credit card and would spend about 3 to 4K per year on it.

Hector Savage · 18-06-2019 01:19PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I don't know - I'd say the auld hoor business very much favours cash transactions;)

Escort agencies take cards

James Brown · 18-06-2019 01:34PM

I can't believe people are still calling it mismanagement. They know what they are doing every step of the way.

sbsquarepants · 18-06-2019 01:41PM

gordongekko wrote: »

Is there anywhere we can hear this song that we the taxpayer paid for?

For 200k I'd want to be in the shower with Taylor Swift while she sang it!

Jaysus, these people really do believe that the tax payers money pit is bottomless.

18-06-2019 03:36PM

arctictree wrote: »

How difficult is it to make sure a monopoly turns a profit? I doubt they even have a sales team.

This is a good point. Can anybody tell us how much the CEO of Dublin Port Company is paid on top of all these massive expenses?

And is he paid by this state as a PAYE employee in the public service is (i.e. with a marginal tax rate of c. 60% on his salary), or is his salary paid into a company, thus allowing him to greatly reduce hos tax liability?

knipex · 18-06-2019 03:51PM

Deleted User wrote: »

This is a good point. Can anybody tell us how much the CEO of Dublin Port Company is paid on top of all these massive expenses?

A salary has absolutely nothing to do with expenses..

18-06-2019 10:47PM

knipex wrote: »

A salary has absolutely nothing to do with expenses..

It does as a measure of the greed involved in this monopoly. It seems that Éamonn O’Reilly 'has a pay and pension package worth €359,000' and on top of this he 'spent a total of more than €90,000 in expenses on his credit card during 2018, much of it on foreign travel for himself and his management team.'

And, again, is he, like every other public servant, paying @ 60% tax on everything above €33,800 of that colossal salary? Or, as DPC is a state-owned commercial company, does he have a special 'consultancy' arrangement where all that money is paid to a company or other entity which he set up to minimise his tax liability? I'm not seeing much openness and transparency here, but there are very, very many red flags regarding Dublin Port Company's culture when it comes to "expenses"/spending our taxes.

Dublin Port Company's expenses scandal

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