Public service ‘extras’ should be investigated

FOLLOWING revelations in the Comptroller & Auditor General’s report that in excess of €1 billion has been paid to public servants on overtime, extra allowances and weekend pay, I believe it is high time the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigated the validity of these additional payments.

€1bn accounts for one-seventh of our €7bn budget deficit. This is a massive chunk of pay for the first country in Europe officially to be in recession. A staggering €712m of this figure was paid to HSE staff, arguably the most ineffective and unaccountable public body we have ever had. The PAC should investigate the reasons why individual staff members are getting such large payments.

This would be rather easy to do considering that four HSE staff members alone received €170,000, €153,000, €140,000 and €124,000 respectively in payments over and above their incomes.