Craig Hughes

LEINSTER HOUSE HUSH: Paschal and Monk; Soc Dems and Séamus Culleton What's been going on in the corridors of power in the Dáil? Mail's very well briefed writers on The Monk, bluetongue, Séamus Culleton crisis and much more

Your favourite political diary ‘The Bridge of Sighs’ is online at @dailymail.co.uk don’t miss the weekly tales from within Leinster House each week.

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Fiscal watchdog says Government ‘budgeting like there’s no tomorrow’ The Government’s ‘sustainable’ spending plan includes an additional €12billion beyond the limit recommended by public expenditure officials.

OFFICALS in the DPER recommended annual growth of 5.7% for the Government's spending plan up to 2030.

Gov opted to go with an average of 6% and frontload this in 2026 and 2027.

Compared to a smooth 5.7% growth rate this amounts to an extra €12bn! 💰💰

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Why no one with an ounce of humanity should go see play about The Monk Rex Ryan's contention that his play 'challenges' Hutch and does not glorify him is pathetic

No sympathy for this devil: My night at the shameless self-serving play ‘The Monk’ for @dailymail.co.uk

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Return of The Monk: Gerry Hutch tells me he will contest the Dublin Central by-election in May.

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#TheMonk #IrishPolitics

Morgan McSweeney quits as PM's chief of staff following Mandelson scandal

Deputy heads will roll…

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We’ve added more great acts today 🌚🌞

My column in today’s Irish Daily Mail about the scandal of physiologists without HSE mandated qualifications being employed in Irish hospitals.

The body tasked with ensuring diagnostic staff have recognised qualifications have paused their relationship with the @hselive.bsky.social

The HSE can’t say who will do the checks now 🤷

🚨 Hospitals are hiring medics who are not qualified to work here, Mail investigation reveals.

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Not in the area mentioned in my initial article, have a read of it.

This is how much civil servants are paying to live in Dublin's Phoenix Park Current and former civil servants are paying monthly rents of between €56 to €345 for publicly owned properties, some of which are in the Phoenix Park.

In correspondence to the PAC the OPW revealed that some of the residents in the secret houses are paying rents as low as €56 per month!

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Exclusive: Ex-Civil Servants get sweetheart 'rent deal' for Phoenix Park homes Retired and current civil servants are living effectively rent-free under a sweetheart deal in secret ‘ghost houses’ in the Phoenix Park, Extra.ie has learned.

In June I revealed the sweetheart deals for current and former civil servants living in the Phoenix Park under 24/7 security prompting the PAC to write to the OPW…

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Department: 'Giving an extra €10m to World Bank wouldn’t help reputation' The Department of Foreign Affairs advised against claiming that giving extra funding to the World Bank would lead to an ‘enhanced national reputation’.

Officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs advised against claiming that providing enhanced funding to the World Bank would lead to an ‘enhanced national reputation’ for Ireland.

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Housing targets will be missed for every year of government, officials warn The Government's own housing targets will not be met in any of the next five years, with construction to drop 'below current levels', the Irish Daily Mail can

Read all about it - extra.ie/2025/09/08/n...

🚨 Home building targets are set to be missed for every year of the lifetime of the Government with a warning delivery could “drop below current levels” in the coming years, internal documents reveal in today’s Irish Daily Mail.

Looking forward to the IMRO awards at the end of the month 🌑🌞

The letter Darragh O’Brien sent to the coalition leaders stating they were on course for 40,000 homes.

This letter which I reported on a few weeks ago will dog the current government for a while longer as they struggle to shake off the accusation they didn’t mislead the electorate.

We added some more great acts to the @nightdayfest.bsky.social lineup yesterday 🌑☀️

He did, and apologised for it on several occasions. Case closed.

The Regional Independents have agreed to facilitate not being afforded speaking rights for TODAY to allow the Taoiseach to be nominated, but it is unclear if this will appease the Opposition.

I’ve heard some stupid things in my time, but this… 🤣

No resolution, party whips meeting AGAIN… we could face the prospect of TDs being thrown out of the chamber if they refuse to allow business to proceed. My god.

A now deleted tweet…

A huddle among the Opposition Business Committee members and party leaders has formed inside the chamber, as they plot their next move.

Will they go tika taka, or just launch it up to Big Duncan Smith?

If the Ceann Comhraile ever comes back into the chamber (20 mins overdue) we might find out.

Quite the chaotic scenes in the Dail chamber this morning, with the House twice being suspended (yet to resume) as the row over speaking rights delays, for how long we don’t know, the election of Micheal Martin as Taoiseach. 🍿

Cost of new ministries set to cost €1m during the lifetime of the new Government 💰💸💶

Incoming junior ministers will receive thousands of euro in new accommodation expenses, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.

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What is it that makes Ireland such an attractive location for foreign businesses?

According to this client survey obtained by @righttoknow.bsky.social, and which the IDA withheld from release for almost a year and a half, it's still the corporate tax environment:

www.thestory.ie/2024/12/31/c...

Senior civil servants advised AGAINST introducing another round of universal energy credits.

The housing crisis will get worse for the next four years… at least!

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