Judges earned €35.68m last year, despite salary cuts

Ireland’s judges — who saw their pay slashed last year in an emphatically supported referendum — still earned a €35.68m salaries, pensions and other payments bonanza throughout 2011.

Figures released last night in a series of Department of Finance reports show the payouts were provided to the legal hierarchy in the Supreme, High, Circuit and District courts.

The major payments equate to an average of €223,036.68 per judge, or €611 per day.

The figure includes seven retired attorneys general who received €367,015.10 in pension payments from the State, averaging €52,430 per person.

According to the official accounts, eight Supreme Court judges shared salaries of €2.19m; 39 High Court judges €9.114m; 39 Circuit Court judges €6.811m; and 67 District Court judges €9.23m last year.

Of this rate, the highest individual pay-outs went to the Supreme Court. Its chief justice, Susan Denham, received €304,974, while seven other judges earned an average of €269,344 each.

The High Court’s president, Nicholas Kearns, received €283,836.96 last year with 38 getting a combined €8.83m package.

The payouts continued in the Circuit Court where Raymond Groarke, its president, received €258,475.92 and 38 judges earned a joint €6.55m.

The District Court saw its president, Miriam Malone, receive €192,951.96 and 66 judges share €9.039m in total.

Judges who retired also received a further €4.7m in pension payouts, €3.59m in lump sum payments and €147,961 in “death gratuities” to their families.

Seven attorneys general, including the high-profile business figure, Peter D Sutherland, received pensions worth a combined €367,015.

Mr Sutherland received €49,403, while David Byrne received €42,972, John Rogers, €44,814, Dermot Gleeson, €47,823, Harry Whelehan, €53,922, John Murray, €67,575, and Anthony Hederman €60,504.

Pensions for the Comptroller and Auditor General office meanwhile, — which revealed a series of State finance concerns on Thursday — hit €229,417.78 for two former presidents. Current president, John Buckley, received a €213,768.90 salary last year.

The payouts came in the same year as a major referendum seeking to cut judges pay was passed by an overwhelming near 80% majority.

The referendum allowed for the Constitutional ban on reducing judges’ pay — initially in place to ensure judicial independence from governments it contradicted — could be removed.

Cabinet is now able to reduce judges’ pay in line with the cuts affecting the rest of the public service.

A number of judges had chosen to make a voluntary donation before the vote.