Megawatt earnings at ‘Celtic Tiger levels’
RISING salary levels for top civil service mandarins are bringing the ‘Celtic Tiger’ era to mind, Public Accounts Committee vice-chair Catherine Murphy has warned.
Deputy Murphy was commenting on the scenario where the next head of the Department of Health will, despite a controversial pay increase of €81,000, earn €50,000 less than the head of the Health Service Executive.
The main tiers in public sector pay are:
SUPER-PREMIERSHIP
HSE CEO Paul Reid: €350,000
The salary for the chief executive of the restructured Health Service Executive, Paul Reid, is €350,000 per annum, just under twice as much as that of his nominal boss, the health minister.
PREMIERSHIP
Central Bank CEO Gabriel Makhlouf: €292,000
Next secretary general Department of Health, Robert Watt: €292,000
In his previous tenure as head of the Department of Public Expenditure,
Robert Watt was sharply critical of pay scales in the HSE. But by the time his controversial pay hike is confirmed, Mr Watt will be earning more than the current rate of €263,000 a year for the head of Britain’s NHS.
FIRST DIVISION
Secretaries general: €211,742
Department of Finance: Derek Moran; Department of Public Enterprise and Reform: (Post not permanently filled); Department of the Taoiseach: Martin Fraser.
DIVISION ONE
Secretaries general: €201,555 Departments such as Agriculture, Education and Foreign Affairs.
DIVISION TWO
Secretaries general: €190,658
Departments of Children and Arts and Culture
NON-LEAGUE Taoiseach: €187,011, Tánaiste: €172,263, Ministers: €158,129