Waterford manager O' Dwyer retired with €334k

A former Waterford county manager is receiving pension payments of €63,000 a year while earning over €100,000 in his new senior management position in Irish Water.

Before taking up the post, Ray O’Dwyer also headed the Water Services Transition Office — a €5.7m state-funded group which played a central role in persuading Irish Water to take on local authority staff.

He was appointed to the transition office after retiring from Waterford County Council in Sept 2011 with a package totalling €334,000. He left the transition office last year to become head of operations and maintenance at Irish Water — where he is one of the nine-member senior management team.

The company has refused to reveal any of their individual salaries, but has confirmed that 29 senior staff are on salaries of over €100,000.

Mr O’Dwyer retired from Waterford County Council with a gross lump sum of €204,871, a gross severance gratuity of €66,255, and an annual allowance of €63,335.

Under rules introduced in 2012, public service pensions are halted if a retiree re-enters the sector. But this does not apply to Irish Water because it is a commercial semi-state company.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil last week that he did not know if local authority staff were still receiving pensions after taking up positions in Irish Water.

Phil Hogan, the environment minister, is now facing growing calls to explain the operations of the transition office which was set up to ensure the interests of local authorities were represented in the establishment of Irish Water.

The office was initially proposed by the County and City Managers Association to the Department of the Environment in Nov 2012. The group proposed Mr O’Dwyer to head it, at a fee of €36,000 a year. The department could not confirm whether it has been billed yet for the fee. The office received €5.7m from the department last year and €1.6m this year. It does not have a specific website or office that can be contacted.