Irish Water staff already on local authority pensions, Dáil told

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has declined to confirm that retired local authority employees awarded lump sums and pensions have been hired at a senior level in Irish Water.

The issue arose in the Dáil when Mr Kenny was being questioned by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on the criteria for bonus payments for Irish Water staff. It emerged last week that 299 staff recruited to Irish Water so far will be entitled to bonuses which will average 10 per cent of salary.

Mr Kenny said he had asked Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan, in the interests of transparency and accountability, to have Irish Water chief executive John Tierney provide him with the full information of the criteria which applied in the company. This, he said, would mean everybody understanding "just what is involved if an employee is to achieve productivity which would allow him or her to achieve a performance-pay rating''.

Mr Martin said a significant number of senior staff in Irish Water had been recruited from local authorities, Bord Gáis and the Department of the Environment. "Can you confirm, Taoiseach, that such staff received generous lump sums on retirement and pensions before moving on to Irish Water ?'' he asked.

Mr Martin also asked the Taoiseach to comment on the estimated €2 million in bonus payments to Irish Water staff. He recalled that the bonuses had been criticised by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton and Minister of State for Finance Brian Hayes, with Ms Burton saying she would raise the issue with her ministerial colleagues.

Mr Martin said he found the Taoiseach’s response incredible, adding that the bonus culture was back.

Mr Martin again pressed the Taoiseach on whether senior managers, who came from local authorities with lump sums and pensions, had moved “seamlessly’’ on to Irish Water where they would enjoy bonuses.

Mr Kenny said all that information was available to the company’s chief executive and should be put in the public domain. “There is nothing to hide here,’’ he added.