Cabinet to approve Watt’s €81k
Top civil servant ‘has shown he is worth’ pay Dept sources
THE Government will defiantly press ahead with the appointment of Robert Watt as permanent secretary general at the Department of Health, despite the controversy over the top civil servant’s massive €81,000 pay rise.
Mr Watt has been working as an interim secretary general at the department since the New Year.
Senior sources within the department told the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend that his ‘achievements’ and ‘stuff he has gotten over the line’ have ensured his permanent appointment.
However, most senior figures within Government believe it was always the intention to appoint Mr Watt on a permanent basis. It is understood his appointment will be rubber-stamped when the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirms
‘Rubber-stamped next week’
the move to Cabinet this week or next. Mr Watt’s salary will then rise to €292,000.
One minister told the MoS: ‘We had expected the memo to be brought to Cabinet last week, but in the run up to Wednesday there were a number of problems with the vaccine rollout, of course.
‘So we understood that the decision was deferred. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be rubber-stamped this week.’
However, some Government figures said they would prefer if Mr Watt’s appointment was delayed until the following week. ‘I think it would be better to keep it until then so it gets subsumed in the attention given to the lifting of restrictions,’ a Cabinet source said.
Senior sources at the Department of Health argue Mr Watt, who is officially on secondment from the Department of Public Expenditure, has proven himself of value since he came over. ‘Just look at the stuff we got over the line this week alone,’ the source told the MoS.
‘‘I just don’t believe we would have gotten all that done without Robert. He is really impressive and has shown he is worth it. I don’t envisage there being any reconsideration of our plans to keep him there.’
Government sources also told the MoS they believe Mr Watt’s experience and administrative skills are crucial to Minister Donnelly, especially because it is felt it would be too politically controversial to provide additional special advisers to the department.
A senior official in the Department of Health told the MoS: ‘Listen, it’s a pandemic, and Minister Donnelly only has two special advisers. Even in peace time, so to speak, that is not enough, but really he needs more help. You have to look at the number of advisers that the Tanáiste and the leader of the Green Party have in comparison to him and it is plainly ridiculous. This move with Watt is less politically controversial.’
The MoS understands that it was agreed at senior levels in Government that the Mr Watt’s appointment would be an acceptable compromise.
However, other disgruntled Cabinet members who spoke to the MoS this weekend complained that they were not fully consulted on aspects of Mr Watt’s appointment.
The Cabinet was told Mr Watt was being appointed to the department on an interim basis, in what one referred to as a ‘reshuffle’ of secretaries general.
One minister said: ‘At no time did we discuss a pay rise for the sec general at that department. There was a brief discussion only but you would hardly have realised that it was being discussed.’