Officials paid €800,000 in bonuses

DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs officials were paid a total of almost €800,000 in bonuses for work relating to Ireland’s six-month Presidency of the EU in 2004.

Figures released by the department this week reveal it paid €789,000 in “exceptional performance” awards to officials for work relating to the presidency.

It was, said Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern, “in recognition of the exceptionally long hours worked by officers in non-overtime grades”.