Ryan Tubridy should pay back €150,000 to RTÉ ‘so we can move on', says Media Minister

Patrick O'Donovan calls for return of money from Renault deal but source close to former Late Late Show host says RTÉ must comply with data request first
Today at 21:30
The Media Minister has encouraged presenter Ryan Tubridy to pay back €150,000 to RTÉ to 'quench this thing once and for all'.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, after Mr Tubridy announced his engagement last Monday, the minister Patrick O'Donovan, who has also taken RTÉ to task, said that if Mr Tubridy handed over this sum, relating to the controversial Renault deal, 'we could move on from it'.

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Extra.ie​

6 hours ago

• Extra.ie​

Ex-Civil Servants get sweetheart 'rent deal' for Phoenix Park homes

Retired and current civil servants are living effectively rent-free under a sweetheart deal in secret 'ghost houses' in the Phoenix Park, has learned. The revelation comes as new rent reforms introduced by the Government were signed into law by President Michael D Higgins this week. It has sparked a political backlash and calls for OPW officials to appear before the Dáil spending watchdog. Retired and current civil servants are living effectively rent-free under a sweetheart deal in secret 'ghost houses' in the Phoenix Park, has learned. Pic: Google Maps As new legislation was fast-tracked in a bid to ease pressure on tenants across the country, it has emerged that there are six residential properties in the heart of Dublin's Phoenix Park that are managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) but do not exist on any publicly available official asset register. The OPW has refused to confirm the rents paid by current and former State employees living in the compound, but overall figures released in 2021 suggest that the average rent for such houses could be as low as €135 per month. Despite having individual Eircodes, the terrace houses are not listed on the Land Registry. A seventh property, a detached four-bay two-storey house, is occupied by a retired civil servant. Pic: File The compound, which comprises the Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) offices, borders the lavish Farmleigh House Estate, one of the State's official guesthouses reserved for the Taoiseach and foreign dignitaries. OSI, now Tailte Éireann, is responsible for the country's mapping records. The homes are inside a compound with 24-hour manned security that is not accessible to the public and requires advance approval to gain access. A rear entrance for residents is guarded with CCTV, a security fence and a code-accessed security door. The detached four-bay two-storey house was formerly named the 'Chief Superintendent's Residence' but is now a listed building. Pic: Getty Images understands significant taxpayer-funded renovations were carried out to the roof of the property, which was built in 1894. The Buildings of Ireland website, run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, notes its original use as a 'workers' house' and that it is 'in use' currently as a 'house'. The occupancy and existence of other lodges in the Phoenix Park have long been shrouded in secrecy by the OPW. It is the latest in a series of controversies involving the OPW, which found itsef in the public spotlight in recent months over the €336,000 spending on a Dáil bicycle shed; the €1.4m spent on a security 'hut' at an entrance to Government Buildings; and the use of another €490,000 of taxpayers' money on a 70m 'wall of shame' outside the headquarters of the Workplace Relations Commission. During the last Dáil, former OPW Minister Patrick O'Donovan was asked about the lodges in the Phoenix Park on three occasions. Patrick O'Donovan. Pic: Leah Farrell/ However, he refused to give the exact locations of the properties, citing 'privacy of individual residents/employees and to avoid potential security issues arising from highlighting individual properties that may be vacant'. In 2023, Mr O'Donovan told Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald there are 'clear criteria' identifying a suitable person to live in any of the Phoenix Park lodges. The OPW this weekend confirmed the properties are 'owned and maintained by the OPW' and that they are occupied by existing and retired Tailte Éireann staff and OPW employees. A spokeswoman said people associated with former staff members were allowed to remain in the dwellings after the State employees had left the accommodation or died. 'Historically, on occasion, individuals/ widowed spouses have remained in residential dwellings following their retirement and these decisions are dealt with on a case-by-case basis,' the spokeswoman said in a statement. Mary Lou McDonald. Pic: Tom Honan 'The properties referred to in this press query are owned and maintained by the OPW and occupied by Tailte Éireann (formerly Ordnance Survey Ireland) staff/ former staff and OPW staff. These are State-owned listed buildings, located in a confined campus on a secure site.' The spokeswoman said of the renovation works carried out on the Phoenix Park properties: 'Since 2021, the OPW has carried out a programme of remedial/maintenance works to the residences in the Tailte Éireann site in line with our obligations and the protected status of the buildings. 'Works included roof repairs, insulation, replacement of windows, lime plaster repairs and some internal repairs/maintenance. These works were approved at the appropriate level within the OPW.' However, the OPW has refused to say why the six 'secret' houses are not listed on any publicly available register or land registry. They have also refused to say how much rent is being paid for each property. The spokeswoman would only say: 'These properties are primarily allocated to staff in specific posts where there is a requirement for officials to be present on the ground as part of their employment/official duties, and this is reflected in the level of rent charged,' they said. Former Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos In response to parliamentary queries from former Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan in 2022, thenOPW minister Mr O'Donovan said there were 41 lodges and properties in the Phoenix Park. In 2021, rent from the lodges in the Phoenix Park generated an income of €53,830 for the Exchequer. As eight of the properties were not occupied at the time, this means the remaining 33 lodges were generating an average of just €1,631 rental income per year, or €135 per month. The average rent in Dublin at the time was more than €1,800. But over the past four years, this has soared to an average of €2,350. Ms Hourigan had sought a list of OPW-owned dwellings and habitable structures in the Phoenix Park, as well as clarity on whether the properties were occupied. However, the former TD was not provided with details of the state-owned properties. The homes in the Phoenix Park are not registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) as the OPW, as a public body, is exempt from doing so. Last week, the Government announced changes to reform the rental sector as it comes under pressure to ease the unprecedented accommodation shortage. The major shift was announced by Housing Minister James Browne as part of plans to attract more private investment into the rental market, aiming to boost supply while enhancing protections for tenants. As a result of the measures, from midnight on Thursday, the entire country became a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ). Social Democrat TD and member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Aidan Farrelly, this weekend said the controversy-plagued State agency must appear before the committee to answer questions about the secret properties. The Kildare North TD told 'Based on what has been presented, I think management in the OPW should come before PAC to answer questions about the origins of these houses in terms of ownership, planning permission, maintenance and occupancy. 'Given that this is ultimately funded through the Exchequer, I'll be writing to the chairman of PAC [Sinn Féin TD John Brady] to request that we issue correspondence to the OPW to answer questions on the same,' he said. 'There are questions here about decision-making processes that I believe members of PAC and the wider public will have great interest in hearing the answers to amidst a worsening housing crisis.'

Irish Independent

13 hours ago

• Irish Independent

Ryan Tubridy should pay back €150,000 to RTÉ ‘so we can move on', says Media Minister

Patrick O'Donovan calls for return of money from Renault deal but source close to former Late Late Show host says RTÉ must comply with data request first Today at 21:30 The Media Minister has encouraged presenter Ryan Tubridy to pay back €150,000 to RTÉ to 'quench this thing once and for all'. Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, after Mr Tubridy announced his engagement last Monday, the minister Patrick O'Donovan, who has also taken RTÉ to task, said that if Mr Tubridy handed over this sum, relating to the controversial Renault deal, 'we could move on from it'.

RTÉ News​

2 days ago

• RTÉ News​

'Lucky streak' - Cork city shop celebrates EuroMillions jackpot sale

The owner of the shop that sold the winning EuroMillions ticket in Cork is celebrating a "lucky streak", having previously sold a €100,000 ticket on New Year's Eve. The winning €250 million ticket was sold at Clifford's Centra on Shandon Street in Cork city. It marks the biggest ever jackpot win in Ireland and the 18th Irish winner of the EuroMillions jackpot. Shop owner Ted Clifford said the National Lottery phoned him yesterday to tell him the news, which he described as "fantastic". The shop will receive €25,000 in prize money, which he said will go towards "a big celebration". It is "definitely going to be the hottest day of the year on Shandon Street", he said. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Clifford said the shop is having a "lucky streak". "This all kicked off on New Year's Eve when we sold a €100,000 ticket to a local person and I think this is when our luck started," he said. Mr Clifford, who is a third generation owner of the store, said he does not know who bought the winning ticket but he sends them his "warmest congratulations". The holder of the winning ticket in Tuesday night's €250m EuroMillions lottery has already made contact with the National Lottery's prize claims team, the company confirmed. The winning numbers are 13, 22, 23, 44, 49 - Lucky Stars 3 and 5.