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PRESIDENT HIGGINS has accepted the resignation of the Comptroller & Auditor General, John Buckley.
Buckley, who has held the role as Ireland’s ‘national accountant’ since May 2008, had sought to resign the role as he is retiring in February.
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As Comptroller, his role was to ensure that public money is properly managed and spent, and suggests improvements in public administration.
The role creates a vacancy for the government, who can put candidates forward for the Dáil’s approval.
The formal appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General is made by the President.
Buckley joins the large numbers of public and civil servants who are retiring before the end of February to make benefit of a more generous pensions regime.
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No matter how you dress it up the truth is that all governments of the day have sought to deny citizens their rights and entitlements based on the fact that citizens have no knowledge of their entitlements, how to qualify like signing for credits to be entitled to a pension when they reach pensionable age if they are out of the workforce for caring roles or what exactly their medical card covers before charges are levied or indeed if they have a long term illness that they may be entitled to medication. In the case above. it is galling to hear Watt say “I don’t think anyone disputes that it was unfair … that’s different to legal entitlement.” There are none so blind as those who will not see and it is those most in need to are treated with such distain.
Still , you have to have some sympathy for the tax payers and governments of the current era .They are expected to compensate everyone back to the foundation of the state ..I mean all the descendents of the executed 1916 leaders should be compensated should they not but by whom ,Britain I suppose .As for monies paid by nursing home residents many of whom have passed away is that to go to their ‘loved’ ones for extensions to houses, sun holidays and all the rest . Special needs people in care homes are frequently not capable of making a will and their money will go to random relatives who may have never visited them once when they were alive .We are a grand little country shure
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