Fine Gael TDs have claimed that local authority managers are getting annual bonus payments of up to €10,000 each while at the same time cutting public services.
In a row over the transparency and assessment of the performance pay scheme, Westmeath TD Paul McGrath said it was costing €2.1 million a year from local authority budgets, with an average payment of €10,000, but nobody could access information on how managers and assistant managers were assessed for the bonus pay.
"How can we have a realistic idea of whether they earn the awards?" he asked in the Dáil.
His party colleague, Michael Ring (Mayo), said "my local authority got rid of the refuse service and the mobile libraries this year. Are senior staff being given bonuses to take away services from the people?"
He also asked: "Why should the Freedom of Information Act cover Oireachtas members including Ministers, while senior public servants, including county managers, assistant county managers and directors of services are protected under the Act? The taxpayers of Co Mayo and everywhere else are entitled to this information."
Minister of State Batt O'Keeffe said, however, that in an appeal case the Information Commissioner had decided that in the civil service scheme, information on individuals constituted "personal records" and civil servants were entitled to a degree of privacy in the evaluation of their work performance, competence or ability.
Since 2003, when the scheme was introduced, awards to managers averaged at 10.8 per cent of annual pay. Other grades awards averaged at 9.9 per cent of salary, he said. "The maximum award of 20 per cent was not made in any case," Mr O'Keeffe added.
The 2005 report will be available later this year "and I understand that the committee is considering including in that report details of total awards by local authorities".
Raising the issue on the adjournment, Mr McGrath said that information on the scheme could not be accessed under the Freedom of Information Act. He said he had raised the issue with the Taoiseach. "He was astonished and said I should get the documentation. He said he would see to it but nothing happened."
