Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 223: To ask the Minister for Finance the bonus or merit payments awarded to senior officials and staff each year since 2000, detailing the management and staff category; the purpose and the amount of the award and the highest award made and to whom. [28386/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The following are details of a number of schemes in operation within my Department. Civil Service posts at the levels of assistant secretary and deputy secretary are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. The operation of the scheme is overseen by the committee for performance awards. Since 2002, the funding for awards is based on 10% of the payroll for the grades covered by the scheme. Within this overall limit, payments of up to 20% of basic salary can be made to individuals. Details of the procedures, the numbers covered by the scheme, the range of awards and the total amounts paid in Departments are outlined in the annual reports of the committee, available on the website www.finance.gov.ie. The committee does not identify the amount paid to individuals as this is regarded as personal information. Prior to 2002, a scheme of performance related pay for assistant secretaries provided for payments of up to 4% of payroll for that grade. Details of the amounts in each year since 2000 are as follows:

Grades at principal and assistant principal have a separate scheme which arises as a result of the restructuring agreement for these grades under the programme for competitiveness and work. It provides that 1% of payroll for these grades be made available in the form of special service payments, for which staff are invited to apply, based on the following criteria: contribution by the individual to the work of the Department in his or her job; special demands of the job; and experience brought to the job. Initial special service payments were effective from 2000 and were paid out in 2002 along with the 2001 payments. The following are the details of payment in respect of each of special service payments in each year since 2002:

In 1993, the then Minister for Finance sanctioned expenditure in respect of merit awards to individual staff members or groups of staff below assistant secretary level by way of recognition for exceptional performance of duty which was based on 0.1% of the salary allocation, as published in the Revised Estimates, in any one calendar year. This percentage was revised to 0.2% in 1998.

An independent committee administers the merit awards scheme up to AO-HEO level; an assistant secretary group administers the awards at assistant principal and principal level. Nominees for the annual merit awards must, during the year, have demonstrated one or more of the following criteria: given an exceptional performance in some aspect of his or her work; demonstrated unusual commitment and dedication to some aspect of his or her work; or made a notable contribution to the successful achievement of the section's targets.

The following are the details of payment in respect of each of merit awards in each year since 2000.

Following an analysis of staff attrition rates in IT areas in the Civil Service and their adverse impact on achieving year 2000 compliance, agreement was reached at general council to payment of a once off loyalty bonus to key IT staff on year 2000 work. Year 2000 loyalty bonuses totalling £115,625 were paid in April 2000, the highest individual amount of which was £10,625.