Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 320: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 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. [28390/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Posts at assistant secretary and deputy secretary level in my Department and some bodies under the aegis of my Department including the chairman and deputy chairmen of the Labour Court, the chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, the chairman of the Competition Authority, the Director of Consumer Affairs and the Director of Corporate Enforcement, are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. The operation of the scheme is overseen by the committee for performance awards. The funding for awards is based on 10% of the payroll for the posts covered by the scheme. Within this overall limit, payments of up to 20% 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 this Department are outlined in the annual reports of the committee and are available at www.finance.gov.ie. The committee does not identify the amount paid to individuals as this is regarded as personal information.

Prior to the introduction of the revised scheme in 2002, there was a scheme for assistant secretaries which was based on 4% of the payroll for the posts covered by the scheme. Under this scheme payments were made to seven assistant secretaries totalling €23,038 and €20,092 for the years 2000 and 2001. Amounts paid to individuals under this scheme are regarded as personal information.