Fianna Fáil TD for Galway East
Joined April 2017
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Every county council will vote on its 2027 budget in the next few weeks.
In August I asked the Department to release 14 years of those budgets in excel format. They did. Here's what it shows about how central government funds local authorities and where Galway County sits.
Data: data.gov.ie/dataset/local-au… (1/11)
I've written before that the State needs to spend better, not just more, and that we need a different way of talking about public spending. We need to focus on outcomes rather than allocations. Local government is one of the clearest places to see what that means in practice. People can see whether a pothole has been repaired, a street has been cleaned, a vacant council house has been brought back into use or a footpath has been made safe. These are tangible outcomes that make a difference to people's everyday lives.
Substacks:
→albertdolan.substack.com/p/t…
→ albertdolan.substack.com/p/a… (10/11)
The data is on data.gov.ie because I asked for it in August and the Department's open data team delivered.
Link: data.gov.ie/dataset/local-au…
Go and have a look at it. Go and read localauthorityfinances.com. If you're a councillor voting on a budget in the coming weeks, look up your own county. And tell me what you think.
If you want to see how your council spends money on procurment go check out statespend.ie (11/11)
A parent contacted me after his daughter, a college student, fainted on a packed morning train from Athenry to Galway.
I raised these overcrowding concerns with the Minister. We urgently need additional rail capacity on this route.
People travelling to work and college deserve a safe, reliable service with enough room for passengers.
I met newly qualified nurses yesterday who were visibly upset and frustrated. After four years of training, they want nothing more than to start their careers in our health service.
The Minister confirmed that 224 of 307 nursing and midwifery graduates in the West and North West have been offered posts, but others are still waiting.
I welcome the Minister's clear acknowledgement that these graduates deserve better treatment. However, I asked for a firm timeline for contracts to be issued, and that assurance was not given.
We have invested in training these young professionals. We need to retain them, not leave them uncertain about their futures.
I want this sorted, and I'll keep pressing until we have clarity and action.
I raised the unacceptable situation at University Hospital Galway, where approximately 70 graduate nurses who were promised jobs have yet to receive their contracts.
The INMO has also identified almost 23 unfilled midwifery positions at the hospital.
We invest in training highly qualified nurses and midwives. We should be doing everything possible to retain them, particularly when the HSE is working to reduce its reliance on expensive agency staffing.
We need to give these young healthcare professionals the opportunity to build their careers in Galway.
The Minister acknowledged the importance of permanent nursing staff and committed to raising the matter with the Minister for Health and seeking a response.
Albert Dolan TD retweeted
If we can’t follow the money, we can’t properly manage public spending.
The EU is updating its Procurement Act, but we need to take a closer look at all the steps taken from tender to payment to truly answer the question -
Did we get what we paid for?
My September newsletter is out. If you want to stay up to date on what’s happening in Galway East and in the Dáil, take a look. You can also sign up to receive it in your inbox each month
albertdolan.substack.com/p/s…
Thanks to @jamescox91 for covering the launch of StateSpend.ie.
The new tracker brings together more than €108bn in publicly reported spending and is designed to make it easier to see where public money is going and, increasingly, to make sure public bodies know that spending can be scrutinised.
Have a look for yourself: statespend.ie
And for the story behind the project, how we built it, the limits of the current data and what comes next with the Golden Thread:
albertdolan.substack.com/p/t…
Spoke to @albertdolan_ about a new website that tracks public spending.
irishtimes.com/politics/2026…
Over a year ago, @Ben_Scallan covered the launch of the first tracker.
Today, StateSpend.ie brings together more than €108bn in publicly reported spending, making it easier to see where public money is going and who is being paid.
Have a look for yourself at StateSpend.ie
Check out the site: Statespend.ie
and my piece that outlines the work behind it albertdolan.substack.com/p/t…
Looking for something to listen to today or over the weekend? 🎧
Really enjoyed sitting down with Dan Malone to discuss Deemed Disposal, ETFs, pensions, the €1,270 CGT exemption, Budget 2027, app-based investing and much more.
The full interview 👇
youtu.be/NwCB5xtRFqk?is=hhog…
