This afternoon.
Áras An Uachtaráin published ‘The Presidency in Review, 2011-2018’ outlining the work and expenditure of the office over the past seven years.
It includes a breakdown of how President Michael D Higgins’ office spent the presidential allowance of €317,000 per year.
Read in full here
Previously: The President’s €317,000 Top-Up ‘Allowance’
Sponsored Link
So, if I am reading it correctly, the money seems to have been spent in performing the role of president, and not on dog grooming or whatever.
Yep.
The Élysée Palace budget is over €100m a year!!!
They have a lot more dogs to groom!
Hookers and blow?
That is in the “Hospitality & Entertaining[3]” section above
[3]Entertainers’ fees and related fees
Spent on booze and fags I suppose….
Clicked on the “read in full here” link, and it’s that one page above and a second page with a few statistics on number of visits, number of visitors. That’s it for €2 million of our money.
Is the above good value for money? Is there waste? Was the money spent in a transparent manner? Were contracts awarded based on objective criteria? Were third parties able to bid for the provision of services?
You will have no idea whatsoever from that analysis above and well Michael Higgins knows it.
Also, is Michael now greenlighting Freedom of Information requests? I’d bet he isn’t.
“Is the above good value for money?”
Yes it is. I’ve been to the Aras a couple of times and the events that the president puts on are brilliant , inclusive functions that allow people from all walks of life to see the place and feel part of the presidency and Ireland.
Also, your attempt to frame this as a purely Michael D thing rather than ‘every president’ is pretty transparent. Maybe stick to obsessing about other things.
+1
My wife’s been to one too, and has pretty much said all you’ve said there Ro.
You say, in your best Quad-Erat-Demonstrandum voice:
“Is the above good value for money?”
Yes it is. I’ve been to the Aras a couple of times and the events that the president puts on are brilliant , inclusive functions that allow people from all walks of life to see the place and feel part of the presidency and Ireland.
[ENDS]
Well that clears that up then, totally. After all, the Irish health service is good value for money as I have been to a hospital a couple of times and the service was brilliant, inclusive which caters for all walks of life, allowing them to experience our health service.
This actually reads better than your hack job masquerading as ‘just asking questions’.
“Is the above good value for money? Is there waste? Was the money spent in a transparent manner? Were contracts awarded based on objective criteria? Were third parties able to bid for the provision of services?”
I don’t know. I doubt it is Michael D. ringing around picking the caterers though; I imagine it is some civil servant.
” is Michael now greenlighting Freedom of Information requests? I’d bet he isn’t.”
I presume he isn’t either as I would imagine he has nothing to do with Freedom of Information requests. Do you think he mows the lawn as well?
Does Michael mow the lawn? No, but if Michael notices the lawn isn’t cut, then he’ll tell someone to cut it.
Ditto, the person handling his FOI requests. Michael could just tell that person not to rely on the exemption in the FOI Act that relates to presidential records.
Also, remember that analysis above is of the so-called 1938 allowance.
In addition to that., the President costs around €3 million EVERY SINGLE YEAR, which also includes gifts, hospitality, travel, entertaining.
Yawn
The president spends €1.2m per year paying centenarians’ bounty… we could stop that immediately. Why reward someone for being 100 – it will just encourage more people to live longer. And it is mostly the wimin that get it. disgraceful!
I don’t understand why things like state dinners aren’t accounted for in the normal Aras budget.
Renaming the budget line ‘the Áras catering and hospitality budget’ would have saved a lot of guff and hot air, that is for sure.
I’m just waiting for the first ‘snout in trough’ reference to complete the BitternessBingo card.
Sickening level of corruption. Gemma would have cleaned that place right up.
She seemed to drop off the radar. Why don’t you guys mention get any more?
Because she’s a tinfoil hat wearing nobody?
Last seen complaining about a school doing an LGBT rainbow yoke with the kids, very disappointing.
Gemma O’Doherty is very busy doing a Marine Le Pen:
https://twitter.com/gemmaod1/status/1073178299302592514
#Strasbourg #Christmas market killer shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ before his murder spree and had Bin Laden poster on his prison cell. The only surprise is that anyone is surprised. Soft touch #Ireland is not immune #UN #MigrationPact
Oh, and schoolkids are a subject too:
https://twitter.com/fionapettit71/status/1071747991889940480
Christ.
I got to visit the Aras for culture night a few years ago. Can confirm the Food, Beverages, Hospitality and Entertainment were top-notch,
Excuse me, mr la tee da
Did you enjoy any of the ‘related fees’ (catch all phrase)?
I second that. She was pushed on here as a saviour, got lots of air time, when no other candidate did. How come not here anymore? Is she too right ring now?
She’s Currently working on the serial killer in Limerick Story that the media are covering up.
So, are those figures audited by an actual accountancy firm?
Nah. Bosco did them up as a favor to Squee.
I see the intelligentsia are out there digesting the report:
https://www.thejournal.ie/presidents-spending-4393838-Dec2018/
marg fitzgerald
So the president likes to read , why are we buying books to the tune of €40,000?
Buy his own books, use the library for research , have we all taken leave of our senses?
Martin Sinnott
@marg fitzgerald: sure you wouldn’t get a first addition of Ulysses for €40k
Well you wouldn’t, in fairness.
I wonder what the prevailing commentary would be, it were not Mr. Higgins that was The President?
In any other election, it would never have come up as an issue; it’s only because of this clown-show election with all of the Dragons and novelty candidates vying for the ‘lowest common denominator’ vote.
His spending bill isn’t so bad when you consider that the cost of polishing door knobs in Cork for the royal visit was €6000 or something.
Ah gwan away outta dat. Typical Dubs picking on the poor country yokels. Brasso isn’t chape, you know.
Regarding the “inhouse events ” expense, can we get a costing as per nature of event ? The cynic in me would suggest that many of these events are organised for the locals, to ensure that Higgins Junior will eventually get the nod when she runs for Labour in GE.
A list of all events held is available on the presidential website. Feel free to go through them all and tell us if you think they are ‘for the locals’
https://president.ie/en/diary/
I see 52 ‘themed’ garden parties were held and 114 receptions from 2011-2018. If the nature of these garden parties and receptions were disclosed, I would be happy to kill the cynic in me. Although, his house in Galway which is currently occupied by his son, has been “upgraded” by the taxpayer, so perhaps I will keep the flames of my inner cynic burning for just a tad longer.