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Irish Independent
19 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
More than €150,000 paid in expenses to Wicklow councillors so far this year
Expenses are paid out under a range of categories and are generally made available to cover the costs incurred by councillors as they carry out their representational duties. Funds are provided to pay for broadband and phone bills, insurance, training, attendance at conferences and mileage. The travel and subsistence elements are calculated by reference to the distance from each councillor's home to council headquarters and is calculated on an annual basis and paid in monthly instalments. Data published by Wicklow County Council up to end of June 2025 shows the Sinn Fein councillor in Bray, Dermot Daisy O'Brien, received the highest amount with €5,445.60. His district colleague in Bray, Green Party councillor Erika Doyle, was the second highest, with her expenses running to €6,083.61, followed by Independent councillor Jason Mulhall, who claimed €5,867.86. Among the other high earners were Fine Gael's Peter Stapleton, who received €3,874.74, and Labour's Paul O'Brien who took home €3,738.51. Cllr O'Brien, who was cathaoirleach of the council until June of this year, was also reimbursed €2,094.85 for a trip abroad between the March 13 and 19. As council chair, he represented Wicklow during the St Patrick Day festivities in New York. Cllr O'Brien separately received €1,107.13 for travel expenses to Wurzburg in Germany as part of a county delegation to celebrate a partnership agreement between the city of Würzburg and Bray that has been in place for over 25 years. Cllr Stephen Stokes and Cllr Patsy Glennon were also part of the delegation between the May 8 and 11 and received €1,186.02 and €872.27 respectively in travel expenses. Councillors Tom Fortune and Peir Leonard were among the other highest independent members compensated with sums of €4,025.58 and €4,115.22 respectively, followed by Cllr Gerry O' Neill at €3,657.06. At the lower end of the list are Cllrs John Snell, Shane Langrell and Graham Richmond who all claimed €2,196.58. Meanwhile Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy, who resigned from local politics in March, was paid €2,054.03 up to the end of June, with a final payment of €691.29 transferred in May. So far to date in 2025, more than €7,360 has been paid to allow seven elected members attended a variety of workshops, seminars and conferences across the county. The highest individual bill came to €1,867.17 to allow Cllr Paul O'Brien attend engagements with the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) and a conference on corporate governance. Cllr Pat Kennedy received the second highest subsidy of €1,813.56 to attend seminars hosted by the AILG. Councillors Avril Cronin, Graham Richmond, Ned Whelan, Warren O'Toole and Patsy Glennon were also reimbursed for their attendance at events hosted by the AILG in various locations with a combined total cost of €1,860.60. Cllr Shane Langrell also received €718.81 to attend the Local Authority Members Association's spring conference in Kilkenny.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Money talks — and UK audience may wish to listen to Mary Lou's McDonald's Irish unity call
It was only a matter of time before the case for Irish unity was taken to the hearts and heads of the UK mainland. It's far from coincidental that Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald popped up on Good Morning Britain after the Twelfth weekend, appearing on July 14, Bastille Day, marking the events that began the French Revolution.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast GAA club ‘extensively damaged' during weekend arson attack
Lámh Dhearg CLG on Upper Springfield Road was targeted in an arson attack on Saturday, July 12. Firefighters attended the scene shortly after the blaze began at 6.20pm and have since determined it was deliberate. . The PSNI also attended the scene. 'The fire, which we believe was started at around 6.20pm on Saturday 12th July, caused extensive damage to the club shop, signage and a digital scoreboard,' Inspector Dalton said. "It's absolutely unacceptable that a community organisation should be targeted in this way.' A Sinn Fein councillor condemned the 'reckless stupidity' of those responsible. Arder Carson also posted pictures of the incident to his Facebook page which show the shop engulfed in flames. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. "Lámh Dhearg supported by it members and the local community work relentlessly to provide top class facilities and services that give hope and opportunity to young and old alike,' he wrote. "This is an attack on everyone of them. 'Lighting any fire in in the open air in this weather beggars belief but this is a different level of reckless stupidity. 'Anyone who has any information should bring it forward so that those responsible can be brought to account.' The Open at Royal Portrush: What happened in 2019? In a statement Lámh Dhearg CLG said it was 'deeply concerned' by the attack which happened amid preparations to host a wide range of kids camps and championship games over the summer. "Our club shop, scoreboard and Pitch in Patrons signage board which celebrated the recent opening of our new pitch were all destroyed in a fire," it added. 'The club has made great efforts in recent years to improve our club facilities for our members and local community and are deeply concerned by this act of vandalism at a time when our facilities are needed the most. "This event has made us more determined to make good the damage and to continue to provide the best facilities for the benefit of so many in our community.' PSNI Inspector Dalton urged anyone with information to contact detectives. 'Our enquiries are ongoing and we would appeal to anyone who may have noticed any suspicious activity in the vicinity of the club, particularly those who may have relevant dashcam or other footage, to contact us,' they added. "The number to quote is 803 13/07/25."
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Dáil committee to scrutinise how Tusla has spent millions on ‘complex litigation'
The Child and Family Agency, Tusla , is facing an investigation by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over how millions of euro have been run up in legal costs over number of years arising from 'complex litigation' and a protected disclosure. The costs include about €416,000 spent on a report on issues raised in a whistleblower disclosure made to the Minister for Children. The report was later quashed by the courts. Tusla's accounts signal that the State Claims Agency will this year record significant additional costs arising from the same circumstances. The chairman of the PAC, John Brady of Sinn Féin , said the amounts involved represented 'extraordinary levels of expenditure'. READ MORE Tusla told The Irish Times it cannot comment on legal cases. However, some details were provided by the State's financial watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy, and in a governance statement in Tusla's annual accounts for 2024, which have just been published. Mr McCarthy told the PAC on Thursday that he wanted to draw attention to some matters including compensation and legal costs incurred by Tusla and the State Claims Agency in respect of four cases taken against Tusla. He said the compensation payments to the four individuals totalled €799,000, while plaintiff legal costs of €949,000 were paid in two cases and Tusla's own legal costs incurred to date are €1.6 million. Mr McCarthy said the legal costs of the State Claims Agency for these matters are not yet known. The Tusla annual accounts show€848,000 was paid out in legal costs last year as well as €296,000 in legal compensation. The accounts refer to legal settlements and costs relating to 'complex litigation cases' arising from circumstances before 2018. In a governance statement and board members' report, it says a protected disclosure to the Government resulted in Tusla's board engaging an external investigator to look into the matter. The investigator's report was nullified by the courts following litigation. 'Tusla's own costs in relation to this action have amounted to just under €1.6 million to date,' the accounts note. This figure includes €416,000 for the third-party investigation and report. The case was settled after mediation, with Tusla paying €200,000 damages and the State Claims Agency paying an additional €100,000 award to the individual. Legal costs have not yet been finalised, the accounts report notes. A second case, involving 'complex' constitutional and administrative law issues, was settled via mediation with €49,500 damages paid. The other party's legal costs were €870,000, the report says. Separately, the accounts say, two additional separate awards were made through the State Claims Agency to individuals 'arising from the same circumstances'. An award of €309,000 was made in 2025 (legal costs relating to this have not been finalised), while €140,000 was made in 2023, carrying with it a €79,000 legal costs bill. Tusla said it 'does not comment on individual legal cases or specific settlements due to legal confidentiality, the integrity of the process and the rights of the individuals involved'. The agency said a detailed note was provided in its annual report and financial statements. Mr McCarthy said it was for Tusla to provide explanations to the committee regarding the issues involved. The committee said it would seek for Tusla to appear before it in the autumn.
The National
4 days ago
- Health
- The National
Kneecap effigies, Palestinian, and Irish flags on loyalist bonfires
It comes the night after effigies of migrants in a boat were burned on top of a bonfire in Moygashel in County Tyrone despite widespread condemnation and concern. In Belfast, a contentious loyalist bonfire off the Donegall Road – on a site that contains asbestos and is close to an electricity sub-station which powers two major hospitals – was set alight despite appeals from Environment Minister Andrew Muir. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said late on Thursday that suspected asbestos had been found at five locations on the bonfire site and 20kg of material was removed. Elsewhere, posters depicting the Irish rap group Kneecap, Irish flags, and Palestinian flags appeared on other bonfires on Friday evening. Signage on a loyalist bonfire said to 'kill your local Kneecap' in the Irish language (Image: PA) Effigies of the band members appeared on a bonfire at Roden Street in south Belfast, as well as a sign written in the Irish language saying 'Kill Your Local Kneecap', seemingly in response to a clip that emerged from a gig in 2023, which appeared to show a member saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' A bonfire in Eastvale Avenue in Dungannon, County Tyrone, featured the same. Hundreds of bonfires were lit on Friday night ahead of the main date in the marching calendar of Protestant loyal orders, July 12. Dr Alan Stout, chairman of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland Council, had urged people to stay away from the site in Belfast where asbestos was found. 'If there's asbestos there, just don't go there,' he told the BBC. 'Any other circumstance, any other environment, be it a school, be it a hospital, be it a leisure centre, if there is asbestos there, you rope it off, you secure it and you remove it in a safe manner and you do not expose your general population to it.' The Grand Secretary of the Orange Order Rev Mervyn Gibson said people should 'go and enjoy themselves' at the bonfire. READ MORE: 'Skewed': BBC slated for pushing small boat crossings as top Scottish story He told the BBC that a council committee vote to remove the bonfire was a 'political decision'. He said: 'I believe the council voted a couple of weeks ago for the bonfire to go ahead. 'A few days before it, then Sinn Fein and Alliance and the SDLP decide to vote against it.' Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan accused the DUP of political cowardice. He also urged people to stay away from the bonfire site, on account of what he described as a health and safety issue. 'It's clear that this site is completely contaminated with asbestos, it beggars belief,' he said. 'This is not an attack on Orange culture, this is clearly a health and safety issue. 'We're living in some sort of crazy parallel universe where an illegal bonfire [is] going to be lit, a fire which could cause criminal damage on a site contaminated with asbestos and right beside a power substation which provides power to the two main hospitals in Belfast. 'It is one particular party that isn't giving leadership … at the end of the day, I can't imagine anything similar happening in the constituency that I represent without every political leader here out shouting for its safe removal. 'The DUP have been absent, they are afraid to take on these people. They are political cowards when it comes to this, and it's disgraceful what they are doing.'
