Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 419: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government 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. [28398/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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 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 Departments are outlined in the annual reports of the committee for performance awards, 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, the scheme was based on 4% of the paybill for the group of assistant secretaries; the total amount paid in 2000 was €15,051 and in 2001 it was €11,518, a nine month period.

The provisions for the recognition of exceptional performance scheme, REPS, as outlined in the administrative budget agreements 1999-2001 and 2002-04 permit expenditure of up to 0.2% of the Department's payroll costs for the purposes of the scheme. In accordance with these provisions, criteria for this Department's REPS were developed in consultation with the Department's partnership committee, and provide recognition for individual and group achievements across the Department. The maximum payable, net of income tax, to individuals under the scheme is €650 per annum. The total payments made under the REPS scheme in respect of individual and group awards for each year since 2000 are outlined in the following table: