Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach

You are wondering what is the Newfoundland and Labrador Business Partnership?

http://www.entemp.ie/press/2001/031001.htm

But what on earth has this got to do with the Dept. of the Taoiseach?
Enterprise, or Education, maybe?

Dining for Ireland: Taoiseach's Dept aide had €12,000 state credit card


STAFF at the Department of the Taoiseach had credit card limits of up to €12,000 and ran up bills of more than €3,000 per month without even leaving Dublin, it has emerged.

The state credit cards were also used to buy takeaway pizza, formal dress wear, iPods and prescription medicines along with paying for accommodation at five-star hotels overseas.

Direct employees of the Taoiseach would routinely entertain clientele at Ireland's best restaurants when carrying out official business.

http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/feb/22/dining-for-ireland-taoiseachs-dept-aide-had-12000-/

The article says one member of the Department ran up a bill of €3225 in June 2007 and the bill was for 1300 at the Merrion Hotel, €340 at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, €1,130 at Diep Le Shaker restaurant and a further €426 at the Merrion.

Wonder what was gained by all that...

Kate P wrote:

Wonder what was gained by all that...

An iPod, some vouchers for shopping, some flab around the muffin top among much, much more.

Auditor #9 wrote:

Dining for Ireland: Taoiseach's Dept aide had €12,000 state credit card


STAFF at the Department of the Taoiseach had credit card limits of up to €12,000 and ran up bills of more than €3,000 per month without even leaving Dublin, it has emerged.

The state credit cards were also used to buy takeaway pizza, formal dress wear, iPods and prescription medicines along with paying for accommodation at five-star hotels overseas.

Direct employees of the Taoiseach would routinely entertain clientele at Ireland's best restaurants when carrying out official business.

http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/feb/22/dining-for-ireland-taoiseachs-dept-aide-had-12000-/

The article says one member of the Department ran up a bill of €3225 in June 2007 and the bill was for 1300 at the Merrion Hotel, €340 at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, €1,130 at Diep Le Shaker restaurant and a further €426 at the Merrion.

Why do national newspapers publish stories like that, what does this story add to the sum of our useful knowledge. This story would have finished up in the editors bin when these events were taking place because no one would be interested, but now it's supposed to be of national importance. Red top stuff and very poor red top stuff at that.

I don't know tonys - I don't know.

You might see that we have a series here which EVM wanted to get going - government expenditure down to the last penny ....

Considering it's as easy to get simple information out of departments as blood out of a basketball we have to rely on bits and pieces here and there in the media in order to get a full picture.

Feel free to add your bits and bobs you might find in the newspapers - it would add valuably to the knowledge we'd accumulate on the details of where public money finally goes as in the above.

tonys wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

Dining for Ireland: Taoiseach's Dept aide had €12,000 state credit card


STAFF at the Department of the Taoiseach had credit card limits of up to €12,000 and ran up bills of more than €3,000 per month without even leaving Dublin, it has emerged.

The state credit cards were also used to buy takeaway pizza, formal dress wear, iPods and prescription medicines along with paying for accommodation at five-star hotels overseas.

Direct employees of the Taoiseach would routinely entertain clientele at Ireland's best restaurants when carrying out official business.

http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/feb/22/dining-for-ireland-taoiseachs-dept-aide-had-12000-/

The article says one member of the Department ran up a bill of €3225 in June 2007 and the bill was for 1300 at the Merrion Hotel, €340 at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, €1,130 at Diep Le Shaker restaurant and a further €426 at the Merrion.

Why do national newspapers publish stories like that, what does this story add to the sum of our useful knowledge. This story would have finished up in the editors bin when these events were taking place because no one would be interested, but now it's supposed to be of national importance. Red top stuff and very poor red top stuff at that.

tonys, you need to have a look around. Fianna Fail is now attacking the bankers and top public servants more than Fine Gael is. I heard a Fianna Fail TD on the radio on Saturday calling for a General Election. Dempsey tonight is promising to hunt every last white collar robber to ground. It looks like the party wants to head off into opposition as fast as its legs can carry it.