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Staff processing asylum applications are at risk of anxiety, depression and insomnia because of exposure to traumatic pe...
14/08/2026

Staff processing asylum applications are at risk of anxiety, depression and insomnia because of exposure to traumatic personal stories and graphic material.

A formal risk assessment at the International Protection Office (IPO) said staff could suffer emotional distress and “empathy fatigue” because of the nature of their work.

It said psychological injuries could build up over time or result from a single significant exposure to very disturbing material.

The assessment gave the hazard a high-risk rating before safeguards were considered to help staff cope with challenges at work.

Internal documents said employees could be exposed to traumatic material while interviewing, reading case files, or viewing images.

It explained how somebody giving their life story in person could be much more difficult than simply reading their file.

The risk assessment said: “Hearing a personal account is different to reading about it or peer reviewing someone else’s report.”

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/08/14/risk-assessments-warn-asylum-staff-can-suffer-psychological-harm-from-traumatic-accounts-and-graphic-evidence-from-international-protection-applicants/

A government paper said large companies employing thousands of people had plotted a scheme with financial advisers to pu...
12/08/2026

A government paper said large companies employing thousands of people had plotted a scheme with financial advisers to push staff into pension schemes that would yield very little in return.

The cynical plan was introduced late last year as the Department of Social Protection finalised plans for an auto-enrolment system for workers.

An internal note said some employees were “being compelled” to join schemes that had only just been put in place by their boss.

It said this included staff whose contracts did not provide for membership of a pension scheme and that forcing them to sign up might be a breach of employment law.

The note said the only contribution to the scheme would be 1 percent from the employer “with no suggestions of any increase over time.”

The document explained: “Such a low contribution level can be described as a nominal one that is unlikely to yield any material pension benefit in terms of adequacy.”

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/08/12/large-companies-created-last-minute-pension-schemes-to-keep-thousands-of-workers-out-of-states-more-lucrative-auto-enrolment-plan/

An Garda Síochána failed to provide auditors with approval records for overtime payments despite repeated requests for t...
07/08/2026

An Garda Síochána failed to provide auditors with approval records for overtime payments despite repeated requests for the documents.

A review of a €201 million annual overtime bill found supporting paperwork was unavailable in 45 of 67 cases selected for testing.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) found examples where members were paid for more hours than were authorised.

In two cases, more than 50 hours of overtime was paid without the required approval from a senior officer.

Ten payments could not be examined after An Garda Síochána failed to organise a meeting requested on several occasions by the C&AG.

The audit said: “A meeting with members of the [garda] team to carry out elements of the testing, including overtime approval, was not arranged despite a number of requests to do so.”

The report said the system created a risk of errors, overpayments or the misappropriation of public funds.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/08/07/an-garda-siochana-failed-to-provide-overtime-records-as-audit-warns-of-risk-of-errors-overpayments-and-misappropriation-of-funds/

Overcrowding in jails was so severe that the Irish Prison Service planned hostage-negotiation training and considered us...
05/08/2026

Overcrowding in jails was so severe that the Irish Prison Service planned hostage-negotiation training and considered using courthouse cells in the event of serious riots.

A response group was told “operational tensions are severe” and that the prison population would reach 6,000 by this summer.

It said the Irish Prison Service needed to be ready for further escalation with plans put in place for what would happen if cell capacity was lost because of disorder in jails.

Contact was made with the Courts Service to see if its holding cells could be used in the event of an emergency.

At the time, 5,767 people were being held in just 4,718 available spaces, with 611 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on floors.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/08/05/hostage-negotiation-training-planned-amid-fears-overcrowding-crisis-could-trigger-serious-disorder-in-irish-prisons/

Efforts to preserve up to 100,000 records linked to institutional abuse were repeatedly stalled after government departm...
31/07/2026

Efforts to preserve up to 100,000 records linked to institutional abuse were repeatedly stalled after government departments became bogged down in legal and data-protection concerns.

Archivists were pulled from parts of the project and reassigned after more than 100 staff days were spent cataloguing and rehousing files held by the Department of Children.

Internal records warned that continued delays could undermine the State’s flagship research and remembrance project in the eyes of survivors and others affected by institutional abuse.

The National Archives believed the Department of Health alone could hold close to 100,000 relevant files – more than three times higher than earlier estimates.

An internal memo said work had begun on identifying records in 2023 but was soon delayed amid worries over the “legal basis” of archivists working with the files.

In 2024, the project was resumed when two archivists were allowed to continue the work after signing a data processing agreement.

However, it said progress was slow and the work involved was new to officials from the Information Management Unit of the Department of Children.

A memo said: “Initial procedures were very cumbersome and slowed overall progress.”

The work remained challenging because the material had not been boxed in any particular order, while advice from the Attorney General meant National Archives staff could work only on files more than thirty years old.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/07/31/archivists-forced-to-restart-work-on-institutional-abuse-files-as-departments-stalled-transfers-over-legal-and-data-protection-concerns/

Almost €19 million was paid in allowances to prison staff last year, including extra payments for operating tuck shops, ...
29/07/2026

Almost €19 million was paid in allowances to prison staff last year, including extra payments for operating tuck shops, wearing plain clothes, handling dogs, and answering telephones.

Irish Prison Service figures show €64,000 was paid to 23 staff under a “tuck shop” allowance in 2025.

Another €79,000 was provided in plain-clothes allowances to 185 employees, while 78 staff shared just over €12,000 in telephone payments.

Dog-handling allowances worth €27,000 were paid to twenty workers, according to records released under FOI.

The largest individual category was an operational allowance, which cost roughly €15.7 million and was shared among 3,684 staff.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/07/29/prison-staff-shared-almost-e19m-in-allowances-including-payments-for-tuck-shop-duties-dog-handling-and-plain-clothes/

Faulty equipment, malfunctioning machinery, electrical problems, and medical radiation incidents were among almost 950 r...
16/07/2026

Faulty equipment, malfunctioning machinery, electrical problems, and medical radiation incidents were among almost 950 reports logged across the health service in the past two years.

HSE records show 49 equipment-related cases where somebody needed medical treatment and almost 150 where an injury or illness required first aid.

A further 157 reports involved injuries that did not need first aid.

More than 200 other incidents were classified as near misses, while a small number of cases – fewer than five – were classed as Category 1 or “extreme” on the health service reporting system.

The HSE said most incidents that resulted in harm were staff-related, while most no-harm or near-miss incidents involved patients and service users.

A breakdown of cases showed 74 involving electrical issues while 13 were linked to medical radiation procedures.

The documents showed the highest number of cases, 783 in total, were classified as issues with “mechanical components.”

There were a further 12 cases involving fire, 23 linked to medications, and 17 that were categorised as “care management.”

A small number of incidents were also logged involving surgical procedures, blood products, and chemical products.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/07/16/nearly-950-reports-involving-defective-equipment-electrical-problems-and-radiation-incidents-logged-across-hse/

Ambulance crews were delayed reaching emergency calls after onboard sat-nav systems sent them to incorrect addresses, lo...
10/07/2026

Ambulance crews were delayed reaching emergency calls after onboard sat-nav systems sent them to incorrect addresses, location information disappeared, or maps did not include new housing developments.

In one incident in Mayo, an ambulance ended up on the opposite side of a river from the correct address and an eighteen-minute drive from where they were supposed to be.

A patient’s “life survival” was compromised in another case after the crew were given the wrong address and ended up delayed by twenty minutes.

Other cases saw ambulances routed down roads where there was no access to the patient, according to a log of incidents covering the past two years.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/07/10/ambulance-crews-reported-delays-after-sat-nav-problems-sent-them-to-wrong-addresses-cul-de-sacs-and-the-wrong-side-of-a-river/

A government department said multiple people had refused a role as chair of An Coimisiún Pleanála because the fee was to...
08/07/2026

A government department said multiple people had refused a role as chair of An Coimisiún Pleanála because the fee was too low.

In a business case, the Department of Housing said the existing rate of €20,520 would not attract a suitable candidate and sought a €50,000 annual payment instead.

It said An Coimisiún Pleanála – renamed from An Bord Pleanála – had been through a period of intense controversy.

The business case said the planning board needed somebody without any conflict of interest and who did not have any other “paid commitments or roles.”

The former chief executive of the HSE Paul Reid was subsequently appointed to the role.

The internal records said efforts had been underway since November 2024 to find a “suitably qualified and experienced candidate.”

A campaign by publicjobs had identified one suitable person, but they withdrew their name for consideration.

The business case said: “Several potential candidates have been approached since, however in most cases these candidates have said they are unable to take up the position due to the need to give up consultancy work and other paid board positions, and consequent loss of income.”

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/07/08/department-sought-e50000-annual-fee-for-chair-of-an-coimisiun-pleanala-saying-nobody-was-willing-to-take-on-role-at-a-lower-rate/

In a major u-turn, the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI) has decided that release of information on trave...
03/07/2026

In a major u-turn, the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI) has decided that release of information on travel by the President of Ireland would be a risk to public security.

The CEI had previously decided that information on government jet use by the President should be released by the Department of Defence.

However, in a complete reversal of that – the office has said the information should not be public because it would adversely affect public security.

https://www.thestory.ie/2026/07/03/release-of-information-on-air-travel-by-president-of-ireland-would-be-a-risk-to-public-security-commissioner-for-environmental-information-says/

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