Since the beginning of the year, more than €1.6 million has been spent installing or modernising security systems at the residences of elected officials and other public servants, reports Breaking News.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has seen a notable increase in spending during the last 18 months due to the increased danger posed by far-right groups and extremists.
According to the most recent data, the OPW spent €809,000 on security systems for 11 people’s private homes during the first half of this year.
The reason for withholding the identities of the politicians and officeholders involved is that right-wing extremists or criminals could utilise the information, reports Breaking News.
Nonetheless, it is well known that the majority of the works deal with at-risk members of the Oireachtas, judges, ministers, representatives of the Criminal Assets Bureau, and previous officials such as Taoisigh or past Presidents.
Over the previous seven years, there has been a noticeable increase in both the overall annual security bill and the cost per project.
It is impossible to determine, though, if this is due to more expensive installation or more advanced or improved security mechanisms, reports Breaking News.
In 2023, ten distinct properties with an average cost of €82,681 were covered by the total expenditure of €826,816 on private houses.
The OPW has already spent €809,023 in the first half of this year on eleven different initiatives, each costing about €73,500.
Previous years’ bills were less, totalling €586,358 in 2022, with an average cost of little over €53,000 for 11 security installations, reports Breaking News.
The total cost of the bill in 2021 was €707,787, which paid for the repairs of 14 private residences at an average cost of about €50,500.
The cost of each project, which involved the OPW installing security at 20 separate residences in 2019, came to a mere €42,500 per residence.
Since the beginning of 2018, 89 private residences have received funding totalling little under €4.7 million, with an average cost of €52,626.
The Office of Public Works has previously stated that it may jeopardise someone’s life or security and refused to provide any information on security expenditures at private residences, reports Breaking News.
However, the Information Commissioner concluded under Freedom of Information regulations that aggregated annual data could not be used to identify any person or property.
Over the past three years, politicians’ fears about their safety have increased significantly. Taoiseach Simon Harris and Justice Minister Helen McEntee have both been the target of bomb threats and masked protests outside their houses.
After reviewing security, An Garda Síochána also suggested that all government ministers be given access to trained police drivers again in 2022, reports Breaking News.
Only after gardaí conduct security evaluations may decisions about work at private dwellings be made and then forwarded to the Department of Justice for execution.
The OPW responded, “We do not have any further comment to make at this time,” when asked about the expense, reports Breaking News.
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