Why are they covering up the cost of the Oireachtas?

[dalywise]

The annual book of estimates is always a great read. It tells you every penny that the Government intends spending – including a few hundred grand on the Secret Service, some crowd called Charitable Donations and Bequests, the Prison Service and each Government department. With one notable exception – nowhere in the Book of Estimates can you find details of the cost of the Oireachtas, the number of staff etc.

This was not always so. I distinctly remember the details being there in the recent past.

But a look at the 2010 and 2011 Book of Estimates
http://budget.gov.ie/budgets/2011/Do...%20English.pdf

and

http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/201...epaper2010.pdf - not a dickey bird about the Oireachtas.

Obviously a high level decison was taken during the life of the FF/PD? or FF/PD/Green governments to stop publishing these data. I wonder why.

I wonder even more who is responsible for this very deliberate attempt to withhold information about the Dail and Seanad, its members salaries, staff numbers and expenses.

[ruserious]

The CSO cost €83 Million last year!!! Christ!

[TommyO'Brien]

The annual book of estimates is always a great read. It tells you every penny that the Government intends spending – including a few hundred grand on the Secret Service, some crowd called Charitable Donations and Bequests, the Prison Service and each Government department. With one notable exception – nowhere in the Book of Estimates can you find details of the cost of the Oireachtas, the number of staff etc.

This was not always so. I distinctly remember the details being there in the recent past.

But a look at the 2010 and 2011 Book of Estimates
http://budget.gov.ie/budgets/2011/Documents/White paper English.pdf

and

http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/201...epaper2010.pdf - not a dickey bird about the Oireachtas.

Obviously a high level decison was taken during the life of the FF/PD? or FF/PD/Green governments to stop publishing these data. I wonder why.

I wonder even more who is responsible for this very deliberate attempt to withhold information about the Dail and Seanad, its members salaries, staff numbers and expenses.

'They' aren't covering up anything. Different aspects of the Oireachtas are paid for out of different funds and have been for years.

[gaudi]

'They' aren't covering up anything. Different aspects of the Oireachtas are paid for out of different funds and have been for years.

How? Where can you see the costs of the oireachtas outlined in a format as convenient as that shown for all the government departments? Where are the salary and expenses of the Dail shown in the book of estimates or where are they included?

[Norman Bates]

The annual book of estimates is always a great read. It tells you every penny that the Government intends spending – including a few hundred grand on the Secret Service, some crowd called Charitable Donations and Bequests, the Prison Service and each Government department. With one notable exception – nowhere in the Book of Estimates can you find details of the cost of the Oireachtas, the number of staff etc.
...

I'm in shock after reading that the Government estimates have already been produced using the pound and penny...

[johnfás]

The CSO cost €83 Million last year!!! Christ!

There was a census...

And the Commissioners for Charitable Donations and Bequests is the regulator of charities and non profit bodies, essentially. It will disappear and reappear as the charities regulator under the charities act 2009.

[ruserious]

There was a census...

The previous non-census year, it was 50+ Million.
What a waste of tax payers money.

[Radix]

I wonder even more who is responsible for this very deliberate attempt to withhold information about the Dail and Seanad, its members salaries, staff numbers and expenses.

Send Kaiser Kenny a quick email.

He'll get back to you, he has a 'Contract' with the Irish people after all!

In fairness, He (blesses himself), is on the record as someone who wants to reduce the cost of the National Parliament, by asking the Irish people to sack the people he nominated to the Seanad among others, (figure that out if you will.)

He also thinks that the Irish people "are not responsible for this crisis".

Id est, 'twas the politicians wot did it!

And the former Minister for the Tour de France stood (idly), by when all this was happening...

I didn't hear him raising one word of concern, when the FG controlled Council approved hand over fist the many developments in his native County, which are now classified as 'ghost estates', and costing the hard pressed taxpayer an absolute fortune.

And now he has the affrontery to ask you to pay for it all, through extra charges on your family.

[dalywise]

I have checked this with a number of civil servants and they can't figure why the Oireachtas costs aren't included in the Book of Estimates. And contrary to what Tommy O'Brien says above, the expenses are not spread out over the rest of Government services. And if they were, it would be even more suspicious. I suspect that the costs are probably outlandish and would attract attention - the costs of cartridge toner would certainly raise eyebrows. It also raises the question though that the book of estimates does not present a true picture of government expenditure as it does not include the cost of the Oireachtas.