Minister: Land Development Agency chief needs a pay rise
The housing minister said Land Development Agency CEO John Coleman would need a 'salary of €242,270 'to have an equivalent salary to when originally set in 2019.' File picture: Michael O'Sullivan/OSM
Housing minister James Browne has called for a pay rise for the CEO of the Land Development Agency, warning that recent changes to semi-state bosses' pay would amount to a “pay cut”.
Mr Browne wrote to public expenditure minister Jack Chambers last November seeking a payrise for John Coleman, who has served as Land Development Agency chief executive since 2019.
Documents released under Freedom of Information show Mr Browne had concerns about a recent revision of salaries of senior staff at semi-state companies.
In 2025, the Government agreed that boards of semi-state companies would be permitted to offer higher salaries, with a report by the Senior Posts Remuneration Committee (SPRC) finding that pay packets had “fallen out of alignment with the market”.
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Under the changes, there are now eight levels of pay which are set at a salary range of 80% to 120% of the market median for each band.
These would be set based on the company's finances, staffing levels, and overall performance.
The revised salary bands are redacted, but the letter shows Mr Coleman’s current salary is €200,000.
However, in his letter, Mr Browne raised concerns about Mr Coleman’s salary, saying it had not been increased since 2019 when he was first appointed.
He said inflation rates since 2019, based on the Consumer Price Index, mean Mr Coleman’s salary has decreased by 21%.
“At this point, the LDA CEO would need to be earning an annual salary of €242,270 to have an equivalent salary to when originally set in 2019,” Mr Browne wrote.
“The salary band that has been proposed as an outcome of the SPRC process therefore represents a decrease in salary in real terms, noting that the increases to salaries of other public servants, which amount to 21% in recent years, do not apply to the CEOs of commercial state bodies,” Mr Browne wrote.
“While it is accepted that €200,000 is a substantial salary, it is likely that a person with the requisite skills and expertise to deliver successfully in the LDA CEO role will be in receipt of offers of employment with much higher remuneration from other companies in the sector.”
Mr Browne also warned that Mr Coleman has a “sought-after skillset” and is “receiving competitive offers from other organisations”.
“In order to retain his expertise, and to ensure that a suitably skilled and experienced individual can be found to succeed the current CEO after his term of appointment is over, the current contract and remuneration needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency,” Mr Browne adds.
The housing minister added the LDA board has noted the biggest risk to the agency is “CEO remuneration”.
“In comparison to other commercial state bodies, the LDA has a more wide-ranging role, which will have a lasting positive impact if properly executed, but the CEO salary proposed does not reflect this,” Mr Browne said.
He called for the salary level to be “urgently re-examined” to retain Mr Coleman, but also to ensure it can hire a suitable replacement when his term expires.
He argued the analysis carried out by the SPRC was based on 2023 figures, while saying the LDA had expanded its remit since then and this had not been accounted for.
A statement from the Department of Housing said there had been an agreement reached with the Department of Public Expenditure on increasing the maximum salary band for the post.
However, the statement does not specify how much the band had been increased by, or if this was before Mr Browne sent the letter.
It adds that any change to terms of Mr Coleman’s contract, including salary, is a decision for the LDA board and requires approval from the housing minister and Public Expenditure minister.
- Tadgh McNally, Political Reporter
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