Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 551: To ask the Minister for Finance the bonuses that were paid to his staff for the year ending 31 December 2005; the amount of money that was paid; the way in which this was calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1918/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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For the year ending 31 December 2005, the following are the details of payments made in respect of exceptional performance in 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. A total of €115,250 was paid to assistant secretaries under this scheme in 2005.

Principals and assistant principals 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, namely, 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. A total of €38,610 was paid to these grades under this scheme in 2005.

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 administrative officer-higher executive officer 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, namely, 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 and made a notable contribution to the successful achievement of the section's targets. A total of €54,053 was paid to staff under the merit awards scheme in 2005. An amount of €8,250 was paid in respect of ex gratia payments. Ex gratia payments are made in a number of situations which are outside the remit of the schemes already mentioned.