HSE unable to determine how many high earners entitled to work bonus

Nearly 30,000 health workers will this year receive increments and work bonuses amounting to more than €40m, figures reveal.

However, the HSE has said it is unable to determine how many health staff who are on high salaries will receive the increments.

The executive also says it cannot determine amounts paid out as separate special allowances to thousands of workers.

The revelation came as Fianna Fáil’s public expenditure reform spokesperson Seán Fleming called on public servants earning more than €70,000 a year to voluntarily give up their annual increments.

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin said 10% of those eligible for the annual increments in the civil service earned above that figure.

Of the wider 300,000 public sector workforce, just over 44,000 earn more than €70,000 — and Mr Howlin stressed only a small percentage of them would be entitled to increments.

In a letter to Mr Fleming, Mr Howlin said some 76% of civil servants entitled to increments earn less than €50,000.

Mr Howlin revealed that 3,043 public sector workers earn €100,000-€125,000, 1,212 earn €125,000- €150,000 and 2,536 earn over €150,000.

Some ministers have called for a deferral of increment payments for public sector workers in recent weeks to boost savings for the exchequer. Increments are paid to public sector workers on a yearly basis.

HSE figures show that 29,032 employees will be paid increments amounting to €40.8m this year. This amounts to over €1,400 for each employee.

Allowances are paid for performance of duties in addition to normal duties to reflect the difficult nature or unsocial hours associated with a post.

The figures were obtained by Fine Gael’s Simon Harris following a recent appearance of HSE chief executive Cathal Magee at the Public Accounts Committee.

In a letter to PAC, HSE assistant director Ray Mitchell explained that the agency operated nine separate payroll systems.