Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 95: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the names of the senior local authority personnel who have been awarded bonus payments by the committee for performance awards; the amounts paid in each case; if he will list the criteria used for awarding payments in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3916/05]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 174: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on the content of the first annual report of the committee for performance awards for local authority managers, assistant managers and directors of services. [4025/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 174 together.

Following the recommendation of the review body on higher remuneration in the public sector in its report of 25 September 2000, a scheme of performance related awards was introduced in the local authority sector for managers, assistant managers and directors of services commencing in 2003. The review body recommended that a committee for performance awards be established to monitor and adjudicate on the performance awards process in the local government sector. The committee comprises the Secretary General of my Department, two senior local authority managers and two members from the private sector.

Under the scheme, participants prepare a statement of objectives at the beginning of the year and a self-assessment of performance at the end of the year. Objectives and assessments are subject to approval by the committee for performance awards, which also makes the final determination of the amounts of awards.

The committee's report on the operation of the scheme for 2003, including an outline of the requirements in regard to objectives and performance, is available on the website of my Department at www.environ.ie. I will arrange for a copy of the report to be sent to the Oireachtas Library. The report contains details of the distribution of awards made in respect of 2003. Information naming officials and the individual amounts paid to them is deemed a personal record and consequently is not publicly available.