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Labour Party finance spokesman Ged Nash has dismissed calls for an Irish version of DOGE, warning that such an approach would see “the solution to every spending problem in the firing of the nearest available public servant.”
His remarks came as the Dáil debated a motion from Independent Ireland today, which called for the creation of an independent watchdog for government spending, staffed by private sector efficiency experts with the power to conduct unannounced audits and issue corrective measures.
NASH: THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE A WIDESPREAD INEFFICIENCY PROBLEM
Responding to the motion, Nash said that while he acknowledged there were “some egregious examples” of public sector waste that needed to be addressed, he pushed back on the notion that the State had a widespread systemic problem with inefficiency.
“This motion suggests there is a systematic dysfunction across government in public expenditure control,” he said.
“It is a very generalised and sweeping statement. I do not believe that is the case at all.”
Nash argued that existing oversight mechanisms were sufficient and questioned whether a new watchdog would be effective.
He went on to criticise the motion for what he said risked becoming an “anti-public service and anti-public sector reactionary agenda.”
AN IRISH DOGE WOULD “CREATE MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT WILL SOLVE”
“We do not want this new body to become some kind of Musk-inspired DOGE-like entity that sees the solution to every spending problem in the firing of the nearest available public servant,” Nash said.
“That will create more problems than it will solve. The danger here is that this is often viewed through the lens of an anti-public service and anti-public sector reactionary agenda. That should not be the case.”
A “SYSTEMIC DYSFUNCTION” IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE
Michael Collins, leader of Independent Ireland, defended his party’s proposal, describing it as a necessary response to “systemic dysfunction” in public expenditure.
“A printer that could not fit in the room cost €808,000, but you cannot get a home help visit for a housebound pensioner in west Cork,” he said.
“A security hut cost €1.43 million. That is the price of multiple family homes in rural Ireland.”
MINISTERS MUST “STAND UP TO THEIR DEPARTMENTS”
Independent Ireland TD Richard O’Donoghue also backed the motion, calling for increased accountability.
“If I make a mistake, I am accountable,” he said.
“Come the end of the month, if Revenue is not paid online, I am accountable. When Ministers go into their positions in Departments, they are often told they are welcome but that this is how things are done. That has to change now.
“I want Ministers to stand up to their Departments and tell them that they are in charge, that the Department is going to do things and deliver for this country. Things are not going to continue to be done the way they have been for years.
NGO FUNDING “LACKS TRANSPARENCY”
Independent TD Ken O’Flynn criticised the government’s handling of public funds, referencing waste in several projects. He also highlighted what he described as a lack of transparency in NGO funding, pointing to concerns over financial accountability.
“One thing we know for certain is that money is being spent on 372 quangos and 32,000 NGOs,” he said.
“That is one NGO for every 155 people in the State. We must ask serious questions about how public funds are being allocated and ensure proper oversight of every euro spent.”
He added: “Where are the checks and balances in the public procurement process? The buck stops with the Minister and his Government.”
TÓIBÍN: “TAXPAYERS’ MONEY IS BEING INCINERATED”
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín proposed an amendment calling for a disciplinary process for senior civil servants responsible for repeated waste of public funds.
“Nobody ever loses their job at the top ends of the Civil Service no matter how much money they lose, and nothing will change until that changes,” he said.
“The Government is incinerating billions of euro of taxpayers’ money,” he continued.
“A large portion of the taxes the Government takes from the men and women who get up early in the morning and burst themselves, who commute two and three hours a day and work hard to get home to their families and spend half an hour with their kids before they go to bed, are being incinerated by the Government in terms of waste.”
SINEAD GIBNEY TD: NGOS “PROVIDE A CRUCIAL SERVICE”
Meanwhile, Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney said while waste was an issue, she would caution against the idea of an Irish “Department of Government Efficiency”, or “DOGE”, as established by US President Donald Trump recently in America to root out State waste. The agency is spearheaded by electric car mogul Elon Musk.
“I will call out those components of [the motion] that I have an issue with, particularly the idea of an Irish version of the DOGE,” she said.
“I do not think that is an appropriate way to go forward. Nor do I appreciate the condemnation of NGOs, when NGOs in this country provide a crucial service in areas where I believe the State should be stepping in to provide those services.”
Notably, before becoming a TD, Gibney served on one of Ireland’s biggest NGOs, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), which receives millions of euros in Government funding annually.
Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne also defended NGOs during his contributions.
“I would also like the proposers of the motion to consider their language around NGOs,” he said.
“NGOs deliver vital services across the country…These NGOs are doing vital work.
“We must be very careful about criticising that sector. It is important to value it. We need to defend NGOs. They are being squeezed by the State as regards what they are expected to deliver.”
PAUL MURPHY: IRISH DOGE WOULD MEAN “LAYING WASTE TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy claimed the motion reflected “right-wing neoliberal ideology” and a desire to “ape Trump and Musk,” referring to the aforementioned DOGE, arguing that such a watchdog would lead to widespread firings of public servants.
“Public sector workers beware; laying waste to the public sector is Independent Ireland’s agenda,” he said.
STANLEY: “BRINGING IN MUSK OR O’LEARY WILL BRING CHAOS”
Independent TD Brian Stanley said that while there was waste, the radical solutions seen in America went too far.
“Every euro of taxpayers’ money has to be spent well,” he said.
“However, bringing in an Elon Musk or Michael O’Leary to run the show and oversee it will bring chaos. We are watching that in one of the largest economies in the world, never mind the chaos it would cause in our small country.”
MORAN DEFENDS THE GOVERNMENT’S RECORD ON WASTE
Meanwhile, Independent TD and Minister of State Kevin “Boxer” Moran angrily defended the government’s record, criticising what he described as “simplistic” portrayals of public spending waste, arguing that infrastructure projects and security measures often incurred high costs due to necessary regulations and protections.
“People love to go on social media and take pictures of themselves pointing at things they don’t understand, calling them waste,” he said.
“They don’t want to hear about the real work that goes into these decisions.”
He specifically pushed back on criticism of controversies such as the Leisnter House bike shed, the OPW’s wall at the Hill of Tara, and the Leinster House security hut.
“The bike shed? That’s a bike shelter,” he said.
“This is a listed building. This is a building that is cherished by people all over the world, including the people of Ireland, and we cannot just dig up, throw in and do what you bloody well like.
“As for the wall at the Hill of Tara, it might have gone on for 12 years and it might go on for another 12, but the Hill of Tara never closed. It was open for business for everybody to enjoy.”
Despite Moran’s condemnations, virtually all senior Government figures condemned the bike shed as an unacceptable waste themselves, with then-Taoiseach Simon Harris describing it as “inexplicable and inexcusable” when it first came too light.
Moran further rebuked Independent Ireland for its stance on spending reform, claiming that “half of them were on the radio yesterday saying we need more investment, and today they’re in here crying about costs.”
MINISTER PUSHES BACK: ‘CIVIL SERVANTS WORK TIRELESSLY TO ENSURE VALUE FOR MONEY’
The motion also sparked a heated exchange between Independent TDs and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers, who said the Government “absolutely condemns the waste of any public money” but insisted that existing oversight frameworks were sufficient.
Chambers pushed back against criticisms from the opposition, arguing that the debate had ignored “the significant investment and impact that is being made in public services.” He also defended the role of public servants, stating that “many public and civil servants across the system work tirelessly to ensure value for money.”
“It is unfair that the Deputies have not reflected and acknowledged that a lot of the investment that is being made is having a positive impact in communities,” he said.
KEOGAN: “IRELAND NEEDS ITS OWN DOGE”
Meanwhile, in a totally separate debate during the same day, Independent Senator Sharon Keogan has called for the establishment of an Irish DOGE, arguing that systemic waste and a lack of accountability justify the need for such an agency.
“Some people are willing to wave these stories [of waste] as one-off incidents that are being exploited for cheap tabloid headlines,” she said.
“The reason these stories cause such an uproar is that everybody feels they embody the systemic problem of waste which the Irish Government is. The people are angry, not because these examples are just a few bad apples but because they are most of the barrel.”
Keogan linked her concerns to NGO funding, comparing the situation to “Ireland’s own US Aid problem.”
“This is to say we have a problem with pouring obscene amounts of taxpayers’ money into an obscure and unaccountable NGO sector to which the Irish Government outsources its policymaking.”
She also pointed to the defunding of Benefacts, an independent database that tracked NGO funding from 2015 until 2022, ensuring that “the source of every cent NGOs received was accounted for, as was their destination.”
Keogan criticised the government’s decision to discontinue the service, saying, “The Government has yet to provide a satisfactory explanation as to why it did so.”
She contrasted this with the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), which she noted had failed to return completed financial accounts for multiple years, prompting the HSE to suspend funding in 2022.
“How did the Government respond?” she asked rhetorically.
“It increased funding to TENI the following year, giving it more than €250,000 in 2023.
“In the meantime, the Government has yet to create the in-house counterpart of Benefacts. I call on the Minister for Finance to give a real explanation for that.
She added: “It is high time that Irish people learned what is being done with their money.”
WASTE SCANDALS FUEL CALLS FOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
The debate follows renewed scrutiny over government spending, including recent controversies such as the €7 million spent by the Arts Council on an IT system that was never used and the €120,000 scanner purchased for the National Gallery of Ireland that could not be installed due to a lack of suitable space. These revelations, among others, have led to growing calls for greater financial accountability in terms of public money.
Meanwhile, EU lawmakers have begun reviewing NGO lobbying and expenditure amid concerns over transparency and funding allocation. Critics have argued that some NGOs, which receive significant state funding, operate without adequate oversight.
Despite the debate, the government has rejected Independent Ireland’s proposal, arguing that the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General already provides the necessary financial oversight and that creating a new body would be an “unnecessary duplication.”
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