OPW spent €3.6m on security at politicians' homes amid upsurge in protests
Ken Foxe
The Office of Public Works has spent more than €3.6 million on security at the homes of politicians and other officeholders over the past six years amid an upsurge in intimidating protests and far-right activity in Ireland.
Spending this year is on track to exceed €1 million with over €590,000 already spent on the provision of extra security at private residences during the first six months of the year.
The average expenditure on each project has also risen substantially with each of the installations this year costing an average of €118,000, according to figures from the OPW.
The OPW said they were not involved in deciding who got security at their home and that they acted on the instructions of the Department of Justice based on a threat assessment by gardaí.
Politicians are considered to be at much higher risk than in recent times with a number of high-profile protests at the homes of individual ministers, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris.
Fears of a violent incident have also escalated following a protest at Leinster House late last month where a mock gallows with photos of several TDs was brought to the Dáil, while Oireachtas members and staff were subject to vile abuse as they tried to get to and from work.
TDs and Senators have also been offered a €5,000 allowance so that they can improve security for staff, at their home, or for their constituency offices, which are considered particularly vulnerable.
A log of expenditure by the OPW on security for officeholders reveals a €3.63 million in the period between 2018 and June of this year.
It showed that €690,000 was spent in 2018 providing CCTV, alarms, and other measures at eighteen private residences with an average bill of around €38,000.
Expenditure was particularly high in 2019 when the OPW forked out €850,000 for security measures at twenty different locations, around €42,000 per project.
Their outlay fell markedly in 2020, coinciding with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. A sum of just €213,000 was spent on five separate residences.
In 2021, the bill was €707,000, which covered the cost of providing enhanced security at 14 different properties, or an average of €50,500 per location.
Expenditure last year came to €586,358 for eleven individual residences, around €53,000 for each project.
The cost per project almost doubled in 2023 to €118,089, according to OPW figures, reflecting more sophisticated security systems and the elevated threat level.
One senior garda said: “It’s no secret that politicians are considered at far greater risk than they have been in many years.
“There have been protests at people’s houses where family members were left very fearful inside, as well as the disgraceful scenes outside Leinster House in September.”
A spokeswoman for the OPW said: “The works are instigated on the basis of a security review undertaken by An Garda Síochána, which is forwarded to the OPW by the Department of Justice for implementation.
“The expenditure incurred by the OPW is based on implementing all requirements as specified in the AGS security review.
The OPW cannot comment on risk level for office holders, this would be a matter for the Department and [An Garda].”
