Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
There was a very angry woman on Liveline yesterday complaining about the harassment she has received from the incompetent Local Government Management Agency.
Despite having paid her household charge the woman continues to receive threatening letters from the agency.
She told Joe that she’s sorry now that she obeyed the law and paid up immediately ending with:
Feck them, feck them all.
My reply to Office of Public Works Press Office regarding thirty seven pieces of state-owned artwork missing from Leinster House.
Dear…
Thank you for the generalised overview of the State Art Collection.
Unfortunately the information you provide bears little relevance to the series of questions I had asked.
You did confirm that the art collection is managed by an inventory system and therefore you will be aware that such a system is very efficient in recording and tracking the location and movements of all art items.
The system also allows for the immediate identification of those responsible for art items at any particular time.
You will be aware, for example, that if a work of art is moved from Leinster House to another location in the country it is signed out of Leinster House and signed in to its new location and that inventories at both locations are changed to reflect the event.
This also applies when items are moved from office to office within the same building.
You will also be aware that inventories and those responsible for their contents are regularly checked by a higher authority to ensure that all items are present and correct.
My queries are specifically concerned with the art items missing from the Leinster House complex over a very specific period of time.
On the assumption that the Leinster House inventory system was properly operated and supervised it is reasonable to assume that the information I have requested is in existence.
With this in mind I have re-submitted my questions below.
If you are unable to answer any particular question I would be grateful if you would simply state that fact and provide a reason for your inability to answer.
I would also request that in replying to my queries that you extend the same courtesy to me that I automatically extend to you – that I am a person of at least average intelligence.
Yours Sincerely
Anthony SheridanWhat are the name, position and rank of the person/s responsible for the safe keeping of the missing items?
What action has been taken in response to the missing items?
In particular, what action has been taken in respect of items that went missing prior to the last general election?
What is the overall time period in which the items went missing?
Please supply a list of the estimated value of each missing item
Please supply a list of the exact offices/locations from which items went missing
Please supply a list of the officials/politicians who occupied offices from which items went missing.
Please confirm or otherwise if members of the public are entitled to speak directly to OPW officials regarding this matter.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) Press Office has replied to my questions regarding the missing art items from Leinster House.
Predictably, none of my questions were actually answered. Instead I got a generalized overview of how the OPW handles public works of art.
Dear Mr. Sheridan,
I refer to your below e mail.
The art works located throughout the buildings in the Leinster House complex are from the State Art Collection.
By its nature, the State Art Collection is mobile.
The works circulate from building to building and inventory keeping is an integral part of day-to-day collection management.
The art works are placed on loan to many buildings throughout the country and locations are routinely checked.
There are over 15,000 art works in the State collection located in thousands of rooms in hundreds of public buildings.
Works that are not located during a routine inventory check are not necessarily missing. In most cases, these works have simply been moved to a different location within a building.
The staff from the OPW Art Management Office work closely with building managers in other State properties on a regular basis.
An inventory check is taking place in Leinster House at present in co-operation with staff there.
I hope the above is of assistance to you.
Regards,
It has been reported that thirty-seven pieces of state-owned artwork are missing or “unaccounted for” from within Leinster House.
A spokesman for the Office of Public Works (OPW), who is responsible for the safekeeping of such items, made the following response.
We don’t have the resources to constantly keep a track of where things go.
Often, when staff move offices, they take artwork they like with them and this poses great difficulty to the OPW and management staff in Leinster House to keep a track on them.
Given the size of the collection under the auspices of the OPW, it is impossible to know where everything is all of the time.
This response indicates a complete abdication of responsibility for valuable state/citizen owned property.
In effect, this spokesman is extending an open invitation to any thieving official, politician or member of the public to steal at will.
While serving in the Naval Service I was appointed as a storeman for a number of years. I had absolutely no training for the job and was given just one assistant.
We were charged with keeping track of items ranging from radio equipment on several ships, bedding, lockers and other equipment in three billets, thousands of items in stores and a large volume of arms and ammunition.
When something went missing it was usually noticed quickly and acted upon immediately.
The claim by the OPW official that it is impossible to know where everything is all the time is complete rubbish.
These art items went missing from Leinster House, presumably from offices and public areas like halls and stairs.
The standard method of keeping track of such items is simple and effective.
An inventory of all items in any particular office is typed up, signed by the politician/official responsible for that office and displayed on the wall for all to see and inspect.
When that politician/official is vacating office they simply ask their successor to check that all items on the list are present and take responsibility by signing the inventory.
All inventories are independently checked on a regular basis to make sure all is in order.
The system is simple, effective and easily operated.
I phoned the OPW to ask some questions regarding the missing items and, as usual, was referred to the Press Office who asked me to put my queries in writing.
Dear Ms.
Re our phone conversation today regarding the missing pieces of art from Leinster House.What are the name, position and rank of the person/s responsible for the safe keeping of the missing items?
What action has been taken in response to the missing items?
In particular, what action has been taken in respect of items that went missing prior to the last general election?
What is the overall time period in which the items went missing?
Please supply a list of the estimated value of each missing item
Please supply a list of the exact offices/locations from which items went missing
Please supply a list of the officials/politicians who occupied offices from which items went missing.
Please confirm or otherwise if members of the public are entitled to speak directly to OPW officials regarding this matter.
Yours Sincerely,
Anthony Sheridan
Former District Court judge Michael Patwell was recently interviewed by Charlie Bird. He had some interesting things to say.
Around 1966, while working in Customs and on duty at Dublin airport, he confiscated a number of undeclared items he had discovered in the luggage of a well-known sports personality.
A week later he was removed from his nice clean job in the airport and found himself in a boiler suit searching ships on Dublin docks.
Shortly afterwards he was summoned to Dublin Castle where he was given a lecture, reminded that his period of probation was nearly up and had his file ‘reviewed’. He was informed that he could be a little bit over enthusiastic.
It was made clear to him that some people who leave Ireland who are not diplomats were to be treated as if they were diplomats on their return.
The Inspector General of Customs at the time had a son deeply involved in the same sport as the man who had his items confiscated.
About a week after his interview Patwell checked with his colleagues at the airport and was told the man in question had been given back all the items confiscated and no record had been made of the incident.
Disgusted by the whole affair Patwell left Customs and got himself a job as a court clerk.
Isn’t that a great little statement?
Some people who leave Ireland who are not diplomats were to be treated as if they were diplomats on their return.
It really sums up how our corrupt little republic is (mis) governed.
It tells us that even in the 1960s there was an untouchable golden circle that enjoyed massive benefits at everybody else’s expense.
And, of course, that golden circle has grown into a deadly, state-destroying monster in the intervening years.
The new strategy recently announced by the The Department of Finance just keeps on adding to the mirth of the nation.
We will insist on the highest standards of transparency in the operation of NAMA
The Department of Finance, just days after announcing to the nation that it was a cuddly, open and accountable entity, has been exposed as the hypocritical, dishonest and secretive organisation it has always been.
The Irish Independent put a series of questions to the Dept. regarding the hiring of a questionable consultancy firm to reorganize the state-owned Permanent TSB.
The Independent, and by extension every Irish citizen, were given the usual two fingers by this arrogant department.
Refusing to answer a single question a spokesman said:
Day-to-day operational matters are a matter for the respective board and management of the institution.
Despite the fact that it will cost Irish taxpayers millions the Dept. of Finance has refused to even name the consultancy firm involved.
So much for openness and accountability.
The Dept. is also continuing the cowardly and very expensive tradition within the civil service of hiring consultants to act as a firewall against being made accountable.
It was a (public relations) consultancy firm employed by the State to represent TSB that refused to name the consultancy firm employed by the State to reorganize TSB.
Recently appointed Secretary General of the Dept of Finance John Moran provided some hilarity on today’s News at One.
He promises his department will provide independent, impartial and well informed advice to the Minister and the Government.
If that happens it will indeed be historic.
He also promises that staff at the department will be allowed to debate how things should be done, that there will be an open culture where everybody can voice their opinion.
This would not just be historic but revolutionary as Ireland is, without doubt, the most conservatively most secretely governed country in the Western world.
The first civil servant to exrpess an opinion is very likely to receive a P45 rather than a pat on the back.
So how do we know that this is all just the usual bullshit talk about reform and change?
Because when it was suggested to Mr. Moran that this represented a big change in how things were done in the past he replied:
Well, I haven’t been around for the last couple of years so I dont know actually what was happening or what discussions were taking place.
So here we have a brand new Secretary General in charge of the most important department in the State admitting on live radio that he has no idea what has gone on in the Department or the country in the last couple of years.
Usually when I receive an email from a government department I ignore the standard waffle at the end which warns that the email is confidential blah, blah, blah….
I received an email from the Department of Education this morning and noticed that the warning had been modified, so I had a read – It was hilarious.
In addition to the usual guff about breaking confidentiality the following warnings have been added.
Misuse of the email may constitute a criminal offence.
The Minister accepts no responsibility for changes made to the email after it was sent.
The Minister accepts no responsibility for the opinions expressed in the email.
The Minister accepts no responsibility for any damage causes by viruses.
Fecking hell, talk about covering your arse.
But the funniest part kindly requests the recipient to notify the systems manager if the email was received in error but also darkly warns:
You are prohibited from reading any part of this email or any attachments.
Predictably, the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO), has rejected my complaint regarding mileage claims made by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, as reported in the Irish Mail on Sunday.
When I submitted the complaint to SIPO I had no expectation whatsoever that the Commission would rule against the Minister.
Over the years I have submitted many similar complaints to a whole range of government agencies for a whole variety of alleged wrongdoing.
Not one of them has ever resulted in sanctions or any other action against those involved.
My principal motive for submitting such complaints is to expose the fact that Ireland is a politically and administratively dysfunctional democracy.
The system is designed, whether intentionally or not, to protect politicians and others on the rare occasions when they are investigated for alleged abuses of public funds and resources
The manner in which Minister Quinn’s case was dealt with makes the point.
The Standards in Public Office Commission considered the case under the following headings.
The content of letters and enclosures submitted by Minister Quinn and his Secretary General
And
Under the provisions of section 4 (1) (a) of the Standards in Public Office Act 2001. Specifically, whether the Minister’s actions as complained of constituted a ‘specified act’ or acts.
The Commission decided that there was no basis on which to pursue the matter.
So where is the accountability here?
I requested access to the letters and enclosures submitted by Minister Quinn and his Secretary General under which the Commission made its decision.
My request was refused.
So here we have an ‘independent’ watchdog tasked with ensuring that politicians are made accountable basing its conclusions on secret evidence provided by the politician under investigation.
This does not happen in functional democracies.
Under the second heading the Commission seems to have concluded that Minister Quinn had committed no act that was inconsistent with the proper performance of his office.
I say ‘seems’ because the Commission provides no further explanation as to how this verdict was reached.
But the Commission was under no pressure to explain in any case because the legislation allows massive scope for the dismissal of practically any offence committed by officials or politicians.
For example:
An abuse of office allegation can be dismissed as of no significant public importance if the sum of money involved is less than £IR10, 000 (€12,700).
Under legislation the Commission can also dismiss a case if it forms the opinion that the matter under investigation was a result of incompetence or inefficiency.
This type of loophole legislation does not appear out of thin air.
It is very carefully drafted by professional civil servants working with the best legal advice and the full approval of the body politic.
Such loose, weak legislation is only one aspect of an all-embracing culture of secrecy, obfuscation, denial and non-cooperation that has created an environment where political and business corruption thrives.
Judge Alan Mahon’s verdict was as accurate as it was damning.
Corruption was deep-rooted, rampant and permeated every level of Irish politics.
Only a fool would claim that this deep-rooted, rampant corruption has, somehow, magically disappeared from the body politic.
Another consequence of political corruption is the almost impossible expectation that those with power will act to root out the disease.
A corrupt political system is unlikely to take any meaningful action to root out the disease of corruption because to do so could seriously damage the interests of those who depend on the corrupt system to maintain their power and influence.
This failure to act against corruption can lead to bizarre situations such as the incredible events surrounding Michael Lowry following the publication of the Mahon Tribunal Report last month.
Government ministers found themselves under intense pressure to explain why they had dealings with Lowry, a legitimately elected politician.
In a functional democracy this situation could not arise because the wayward politician would have been dealt with immediately by independent, well-resourced law enforcement agencies backed up by strong and effective legislation.
In addition, and parallel to law enforcement, Lowry’s political career would have been brought to a shuddering halt by an outraged body politic and electorate.
Such official and public ostracisation is of crucial importance for the maintenance of a healthy democracy because it prevents the disease of corruption from further infecting the political system and wider society in general.
The catastrophe that Ireland and its people are now suffering can be attributed directly to the failure of the state to act immediately and properly to countless scandals over the last four decades or so.
Every failure to act against an incidence of alleged corruption, no matter how small, hammered another nail into the coffin of accountable and transparent democracy.
The accumulation of such failures has, inevitably, led to the collapse of our economy, the loss of our economic sovereignty and the impoverishment of the state’s citizens.
There may well be a perfectly innocent explanation for Minister Quinn’s large expense claims but, to date, neither he nor his staff has provided any plausible explanation.
This failure, and SIPO’s failure to properly investigate the matter, is further confirmation that Ireland is a politically and administratively dysfunctional democracy.
Copy to:
Minister Quinn
Standards in Public Office Commission