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Ken Foxe

@kenfoxe.bsky.social

Writer, Researcher & Transparency Advocate

1,345 Followers  |  180 Following  |  166 Posts  |  Joined: 03.12.2023  |  1.9126

Latest posts by kenfoxe.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Met Éireann said they needed to be sure that none of this year’s storms shared a name with any of the candidates in the Presidential election.

An email said: “We certainly couldn’t have a live storm with the name of a candidate during the election.”

www.thestory.ie/2025/10/14/m...

14.10.2025 14:13 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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More than €1.1 million in taxpayer funds was paid last year to ministers, TDs, and Senators for social media, PR, and secretarial support.

Details of many of the payments are now kept secret with the Oireachtas saying they're personal information:

www.thestory.ie/2025/10/10/e...

10.10.2025 10:47 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Ireland is leaving itself in a “decisively disadvantageous” position with some of the world’s highest electricity prices by ruling out nuclear power, an internal EirGrid briefing warns.

Our latest set of records available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/10/08/i...

08.10.2025 12:41 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Three new special advisers for Ceann Comhairle, deputy speaker, and Seanad Cathaoirleach will cost taxpayer €325,000 annually.

Our latest set of records available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/10/03/t...

03.10.2025 11:58 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 1
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Leinster House has approved €325,000 a year spend for three new special advisers for the Ceann Comhairle, Leas Ceann Comhairle & Seanad Cathaoirleach.

Such roles were scrapped over a decade ago in the wake of the John O’Donoghue expenses controversy.

www.thestory.ie/2025/10/03/t...

03.10.2025 11:56 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Fáilte Ireland warns key risks for tourism: Dublin Airport’s passenger cap, U.S. visitors feeling “less welcome” in Europe, and Ireland’s value-for-money proposition.

Our latest set of FOI records:

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/26/f...

26.09.2025 11:46 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Right to Know wins in landmark ruling requiring release of large cattle herd locations in Ireland.

Our latest successful case. Read more at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/22/r...

22.09.2025 09:49 — 👍 5    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
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Another big win for transparency.

Right to Know has forced the release of data on the location of Ireland’s largest cattle herds.

The Commissioner for Environmental Information said public interest trumps privacy claims.

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/22/r...

22.09.2025 09:47 — 👍 9    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0
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Enterprise Ireland chairman wanted to stay on but told board his position was becoming a “potential embarrassment” to minister over accounting delays.

Latest set of records from @righttoknow.bsky.social available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/19/e...

19.09.2025 14:49 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Senior HSE management went to visit Ryanair to see how aircraft were dispatched in the early morning to see if they could learn lessons on managing waiting lists and hospital overcrowding.

Latest set of records from @righttoknow.bsky.social available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/16/h...

16.09.2025 15:40 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
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Climate change “adding fuel” to storms that reach Ireland according to briefing for Met Éireann forecasters.

Our latest set of records available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/12/c...

12.09.2025 13:36 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Forecasters at Met Éireann were briefed on how climate change was “adding fuel” to storms that hit Irish shores.

A guidance document on how to discuss the impact of global warming said there was high confidence that maximum rainfall rates will rise here.

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/12/c...

12.09.2025 13:34 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Frost Zone Stories Book 2, including terrific stories by @jennyhart2001.bsky.social @dianedooley.bsky.social @malcolmtimperley.bsky.social @camdenscorner.bsky.social Nick Young, Michael Penncavage, Kay Hanifen, D Thomas Minton, @kenfoxe.bsky.social Ann Wuehler and @maureenow.bsky.social

08.09.2025 21:52 — 👍 9    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 2
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Dublin City Council said Construction Industry Federation showed “serious failure in duty of care and property management” after collapse of cottages onto public road.

Latest set of records from @righttoknow.bsky.social available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/09/d...

09.09.2025 15:33 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
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I’ve a new short story called ‘Once Bitten’ in a just-released horror anthology from Rowan Prose.

You can buy the collection, print or digital, here:

books2read.com/u/4j7aW2

06.09.2025 14:17 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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There has been a steep rise in the number of citizens of the United States seeking asylum in Ireland.

Fifty-one people from the U.S. applied for international protection in the first half of this year, more than in 2023 and 2024 combined.

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/05/s...

05.09.2025 13:26 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Some of the 'light' reading material the U.S. State Department sent Ireland’s social media regulator ahead of a meeting earlier this year.

“Across Europe, governments have weaponised political institutions against their own citizens.”

www.thestory.ie/2025/09/03/u...

03.09.2025 12:13 — 👍 4    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0
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Time to indulge your dark side...
books2read.com/u/4j7aW2
🎃👻⚰️🕸️

#Halloween #horrorbooks #horroranthology #spookystories #booksky #readersky #horrorsky #rowanprosepub

31.08.2025 15:20 — 👍 11    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 2
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Transport Infrastructure Ireland mulls proposal to turn 36-acre surplus parcel of land in Cork into native woodland.

Our latest set of records available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/29/t...

29.08.2025 10:21 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Want to know what your council or a government department has been up to?

Use #FOI to access official records – and environmental info too.

I wrote a free beginner’s guide (contributions welcome to keep it updated):

www.kenfoxe.com/foi-guide

27.08.2025 17:23 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
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A pretty commonplace experience when making FOI requests in Ireland.

I looked for copies of high-level records on the overcrowding crisis in jails.

Irish Prison Service said there were no records.

I appealed to the Information Commissioner.

The records were magically located.

27.08.2025 14:06 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Department of Foreign Affairs agreed to rent hike that brought annual cost of Irish Ambassador’s residence in London to €508,925 per year.

A new set of records released under Freedom of Information laws:

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/25/d...

25.08.2025 13:53 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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The Land Development Agency has appealed to the High Court to block release of their risk register under FOI in a case likely to cost taxpayer tens of thousands of euro.

It's the 3rd time in three years a public body has taken one of our cases to court.

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/22/l...

22.08.2025 16:02 — 👍 4    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

That was my story on RTÉ Joe. Just putting the documents online so people can have a look at them for themselves.

21.08.2025 20:55 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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You might think that in the midst of a housing crisis, the Land Development Agency would have better things to do than go to the High Court to fight transparency and block release of their risk register to me and @righttoknow.bsky.social under FOI laws.

But you'd be wrong:

oic.ie/ga/cinneadh-...

20.08.2025 17:22 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
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Senior Dept of Justice official warned backlogs in dealing with asylum applications were quickly reaching “unmanageable levels.”

Department originally refused access to these records under FOI and they were released during appeal process.

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/18/d...

18.08.2025 14:57 — 👍 2    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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Enterprise Ireland wanted to raise salary for their new CEO by over €70,000 but were told there was little chance of it being approved.

Plan to recruit their new boss with a pay package worth €300,000 per year was later dropped.

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/15/e...

15.08.2025 12:16 — 👍 4    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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In case you missed it, a new short story from me in the latest edition of Utopia Science Fiction.

It’s called ‘Too Late Never,’ and you can pick up a copy of the magazine here:

www.utopiasciencefiction.com/product-page...

13.08.2025 14:45 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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A crucial emergency beacon fell from an Air Corps helicopter during an emergency medical mission, sparking a four-day search before it was eventually discovered by a farm worker in a field.

Latest records from @righttoknow.bsky.social

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/11/c...

11.08.2025 12:17 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Pay boost of €23,000 agreed for new boss of Housing Agency bringing starting salary to €184,852 per year.

Our latest set of records available at:

www.thestory.ie/2025/08/08/p...

08.08.2025 12:39 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

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