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C&AG report also shows ‘loss of value’ from Defence Forces’ purchase of armoured vehicle fleet
The Office of Public Works paid almost €700,000 to Revenue last year to settle benefit-in-kind liabilities resulting from it renting residential properties in its portfolio to staff at far below market rates.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General found that of 34 occupied residential properties owned and managed by the OPW, rent was being paid at just 13 and the average monthly rent received on these was €169 per month. The individual amounts ranged between €56 and €367 a month, while the average market rent would have been €1,750, it is stated.
Questioned on the issue, “the OPW stated that a previous Revenue compliance check on liabilities arising from occupation of residential property had resulted in an unprompted disclosure in 2018. It made a further disclosure in 2026 and “has paid €698,600 to settle liabilities for the years 2022 to 2025″, the report said. The settlement is currently under review by Revenue.
It was noted the OPW had generally seen the occupation of its residential properties by its own staff as a way of guarding against vandalism and other issues, including in the Phoenix Park , where more than half of the properties are located. It was also seen as a way of facilitating employees to carry out their roles and that “this was reflected in the rents charged”.
In the 2015 Phoenix Park Lodge policy document, drawn up in relation to just one property and not, as appears to have been intended, replicated, it stated that employees should vacate the property upon retirement. However, the report notes that “since 2015, the number of residential properties in the Phoenix Park managed by the OPW that are occupied by OPW employees has more than halved and properties housing retired OPW employees almost doubled”.
“The OPW stated that continued occupancy by retirees was permitted on compassionate and practical grounds. It intends that this practice will be discontinued once the new residential policy is implemented. ” Among the findings was that two properties owned by the OPW and listed as vacant had effectively been taken over by the owners of neighbouring properties, with one being used for storage.
Work had been carried out on the other so as to create a single premises, which was being lived in. Elsewhere, the purchase of a controversial fleet of armoured vehicles for the Defence Forces was described as representing a “significant loss of value”. In 2008, the State purchased 27 RG-32M light armoured tactical vehicles from BAE Systems in South Africa.
Earlier this year, The Irish Times reported the LTAVs received minimal use during their 14-year lifespan before being retired in 2023. The vehicles, which suffered frequent mechanical issues, were offered for donation to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This offer was declined as the vehicles were deemed unsuitable. A report said the loss of value was significantly greater than the €2.7 million write-down of the vehicles in the 2025 financial statements.
The total purchase prices for the vehicles in 2008 was just over €20 million including VAT. In 2011, a serious issue was discovered with the vehicles, affecting their drivetrain. While one vehicle was travelling on the motorway, a drivetrain broke, resulting in the vehicle going on fire, the report states.
Meanwhile, the State paid almost €19 million for claims arising from the HSE CervicalCheck controversy, the C&AG said. The report from the public spending watchdog says the €18.9 million cost of claims at the end of 2025 includes €6.6 million in damages paid to people who took action against the State.
The controversy started in 2018 when it emerged women diagnosed with cervical cancer had not been told of audits of their previous smear tests which were carried out after their diagnosis.
Comptroller-And-Auditor-General Phoenix-Park Defence-Forces Revenue-Commissioners Hse Cervicalcheck
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