Government Departments Have Spent €3.7 Million On Setting Up Staff To Work From Home During The Pandemic

That's according to new figures obtained by the Sunday Independent.

They show the Department of Welfare spent the most money on equipment for employees between March and November 2020.

634,000 euro was spent on laptops and an additional 55,000 euro on software licences.

Over 410,000 euro was spent by the Department of Defence on laptops and associated licensing, plus almost 24,000 on iPhones and over 11,000 on iPads.

The Department of Justice spent almost 350,000 euro on laptops and desktop computers, while the Department of Agriculture spent more than 330,000 euro.