Over the past 18 months, spending by the Office of Public Works (OPW) has significantly increased due to the growing threat posed by far-right activists and extremists.

Recent figures reveal that in the first six months of this year, the OPW spent €809,000 on security measures at the private residences of 11 individuals.

Details of the specific politicians and officeholders involved are withheld to prevent the information from being exploited by extremists or criminals.

However, the security upgrades typically concern vulnerable Oireachtas members, ministers, judges, Criminal Assets Bureau officials, and former officeholders such as former Taoisigh or ex-presidents.

In addition to the overall annual security expenditure, the cost per project has risen substantially over the last seven years.

It remains unclear whether the increase is due to more advanced security systems or higher installation costs.

In 2023, €826,816 was spent on security for 10 properties, averaging €82,681 per residence.

In the first half of this year, the OPW spent €809,023 on 11 projects, averaging about €73,500 per property.

Previous years saw lower spending, with €586,358 spent in 2022, averaging just over €53,000 for 11 installations.

In 2021, the total bill was €707,787 for works on 14 residences, with an average cost of approximately €50,500 per home.

In 2019, the OPW installed security systems at 20 homes, with each project costing around €42,500.

Overall, since 2018, nearly €4.7 million has been spent on security for 89 private residences, at an average of €52,626 each.

The OPW had previously declined to release any information about security spending on private homes, citing concerns that it could endanger individuals.

However, the Information Commissioner ruled under Freedom of Information laws that aggregated yearly data would not compromise any individual or property.

Security concerns for politicians have escalated significantly in the past three years, with incidents like masked protests at homes and bomb threats against Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Taoiseach Simon Harris.

In 2022, An Garda Síochána recommended reinstating trained police drivers for all government ministers after conducting a security review.

Decisions regarding security upgrades at private residences are made only after Garda security reviews and are then forwarded to the Department of Justice for implementation.

When asked about the spending, the OPW responded: “We do not have any further comment at this time.”