Ireland's 'Secret Service' Boom

national | miscellaneous | news report

Friday April 25, 2003 19:40

by Eoin Dubsky

"Secret Service" received an 85% funding increase from the government in this year's budget. What exactly is it? "It is secret" said Mary Hanafin in Dail Eireann.

Today I received a reply to a question which John Gormley kindly asked the Minister for Finance on the "Secret Service" spending hike. The question and answer are below, but I feel none the wiser still.

First though here's a little bit of dialogue from Dail Eireann between Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Ms Hanafin:

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: ...I refer to increases in some areas of expenditure, one of which raises questions. Why was the Secret Service Vote only half spent last year and yet the new figure represents an increase of 85% on that of last year? That has happened regularly in the past ten years.

Ms Hanafin: It is secret.

Wondering! :-)
Here's the John Gormley question (answer from the gov is just as helpful as before..)

165. Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if the budget for the
Irish

Secret Service for 2003 has increased since last year; if so, the
explanation

for any such increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10173/03]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy): The Estimate for the Secret
Service as published in the Revised Estimates for Public Services for
2002 was ?900,000 and the Estimate for 2003 is ?831,000. It is not
practice to divulge information on explanations relating to expenditure
on this Vote.