'Appropriate' for Robert Watt to answer salary questions, says Darragh O'Brien

Mr Watt was appointed secretary-general of the Department of Health on a salary of €292,000 last April and on Monday the 'Irish Examiner' revealed he had received a €2,920 salary top-up in October

Robert Watt's salary now stands at €294,920, official figures released by the Department of Public Expenditure show. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

It would be appropriate for Department of Health boss Robert Watt to answer questions surrounding his pay increase, the Housing Minister has said, saying there "shouldn't be any secrets around salaries".

Mr Watt was appointed secretary-general of the department on a salary of €292,000 last April and on Monday the Irish Examiner revealed he had received a €2,920 salary top-up in October.

As a result of October's top-up, Mr Watt's salary now stands at €294,920, official figures released by the Department of Public Expenditure show.

Controversy erupted last year when it emerged that Mr Watt was to receive  €81,000 more in his Health role than he had earned in his previous position as head of the Department of Public Expenditure. Mr Watt temporarily waived the €81,000 increase, but there is confusion as to whether that waiver is still in place.

The Irish Examiner has sought comment from Mr Watt on the waiver but has yet to receive a response.

Speaking in Lucan in Dublin on Monday, Darragh O'Brien said it would be appropriate for Mr Watt to answer questions about whether he has taken up the pay increase.

I think there shouldn't be any secrets around salaries like that and what people earn. People know what I earn. People know what other senior civil and public service servants earn as well. 

"I think transparency is always a good thing where it's appropriate. And I would expect that that will be answered at the appropriate time.

"It is appropriate that where a reasonable question is asked like that, that it's is answered, " Mr O'Brien said. "And, you know, there's no secret what any public or civil servants or indeed politician earns and rightly so. There's transparency, and that should apply across the board."

Mr Watt was questioned about his salary at a meeting of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee before Christmas but he declined to answer, telling members that he was before the committee to answer questions "in terms of my duties".

Champagne party investigation

Meanwhile, Mr O'Brien has said he is satisfied that an investigation into the champagne party at the Department of Foreign Affairs in June 2020 is being carried out by a senior civil servant. He said the process had been agreed and he was "content" with it. This is in sharp contrast to his party colleague, junior minister Anne Rabbitte, who over the weekend called for an independent investigation.

"People have apologised, it shouldn't have happened," Mr O'Brien said.

"And I certainly as someone who works day in day out with the civil and public sector have immense regard for people in that they're going to be able to carry out their duties in an independent way. And I'm content with it and I look forward to letting that work happen and for that report to be concluded."

He said that Mr Coveney's acceptance of an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee was "the end of it" as far as he was concerned.