Decision to raise salary of top job in Health to €292k 'stinks to high heaven'

Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy told meeting of the Public Accounts Committee the move raises serious questions

Robert Watt is filling the role of the secretary-general of the Department of Health on an interim basis. The PAC has questioned his role in setting the salary of €292,000.

The decision to raise the salary of the new secretary-general of the Department of Health "stinks to high heaven", the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee has been told.

The position is being filled on an interim basis by Robert Watt, the former secretary-general of the Department of Public Expenditure and the PAC has asked questions over Mr Watt and his department's role in setting the wage in his new job, which is €81,000 more than other secretaries-general.

Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy told today's meeting of the committee the decision raises serious questions.

"This stinks to high heaven. There is no other way of describing it.

"Essentially, a job is teed up for a former secretary-general of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, who is now moving into a new department. There are so many questions regarding the role of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the first instance.

"It is clearly a source of concern for many that this would lead to a situation whereby other high-level public servants would seek significant pay increases in line with what has been proposed for the secretary-general of the Department of Health. 

There is no rationale, economic or political, for this decision. The silence has been deafening in terms of the official response to the issue."

The committee chairman Brian Stanley told the meeting the committee was "no clearer" on how the decision about Mr Watt's salary was arrived at.

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy: 'The key issue here is we actually get to the origin of how this decision was made.' Picture: Leah Farrell/Photocall Ireland

"It is a very serious issue and people are wondering what exactly has happened here. It is four weeks since the matter was first raised publicly and, at this point, we are no clearer as to who made the decision to bump up the pay by €81,000 or why the decision was taken. 

"Was the decision made by civil servants or politicians? We are told it was not the Government. Was it a group of ministers? The question is who was involved. We are no clearer on the matter."

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said the issue went beyond one person.

The key issue here is we actually get to the origin of how this decision was made, what the process was, who was involved in it, what the knock-on consequences are likely to be."

The PAC has sought an extension to its remit to allow it to take an overall view of how top-level salaries are set, but any direct questioning for Mr Watt is likely to be done at the Oireachtas Finance Committee, which will on Tuesday question Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath on the issue.