A summary of the costs of the Commissioners of Irish Lights service for year ended 31 March 2008, divided between the main operational areas, is shown in fig 1.

Running costs for the year totalled €21,642,000. Included in this figure are payroll costs of €13,168,000.
Allowing for inflation, the real operating cost of the Service has remained relatively static since 1996-7 as demonstrated in fig 2. Over this period cost reductions have been achieved through lighthouse automation, conversion to solar power, increased ship efficiency, and re-organisation of the engineering function, while maintaining the level of performance and reliability of aids to navigation required by mariners. Much of this cost saving has been offset by increases in payroll costs in line with inflation.

Pension costs for the year totalled €7,937,000.

Capital expenditure in 2007-2008 totalled €15,818,000, including €13,424,000 for the re-development of the Dun Laoghaire site. Staff previously based at 16 Lower Pembroke Street Office moved to the new Headquarters building on 28 January 2008. The main engineering projects were the re-equipping of Eeragh and Blacksod Lighthouses. Other completed projects were a new fuel system for the helicopter shore base at Castletownbere, and the replacement of generators and batteries at Fastnet and Tuskar Lighthouses.

The performance of aids to navigation is measured by comparison with the minimum standards recommended by the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) of which Irish Lights is a member. Fig. 3 shows the degree to which the various categories of aids to navigation provided by the Commissioners functioned correctly, based on a three year rolling average, compared with the IALA performance targets.

The average number of permanent employees for the year was: lighthouse and helibase Attendants and Assistants 72; automatic lightfloat Attendant Masters 4; ILV Granuaile 32; civil engineering coast workforce 23; Dun Laoghaire offices and workshops 141; making a total of 272 of which 196 were full time and 76 were part time employees. In addition, casual workers are employed around the coast on a day to day basis as required.

Light dues collected in year ended 31 March 2008 from vessels in ports in the Republic of Ireland amounted to €4,750,000, an increase of 3% over the previous year. Light dues collected in Northern Ireland in the year amounted to £568,000. The rate of light dues payable by commercial ships at ports in the Republic of Ireland is €0.52 cent per net registered ton. The rate at ports in Northern Ireland is £0.35 per net registered ton. Both rates remain unchanged from the previous year.