Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2009
437 Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Defence the cost of bonus payments made to staff in his Department for 2008; the amount set aside in his Department for bonus payments in 2009; if he will make a statement on the circumstances where a staff bonus will be paid in 2009. [4827/09]
View answerCivil Service posts at the levels of Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary are covered by a scheme of performance related awards. The operation of the scheme is overseen by the Committee for Performance Awards (CPA). Details of awards to individual officers under the scheme are not disclosed on the basis that they are confidential to the officer concerned. However, I can say that during 2008 awards totalling €22,000 were made to two officers in my Department.
The Scheme for Performance Related Awards also applies to officers of the Permanent Defence Force at the level of Brigadier General and Major General. In 2008 an amount of €125,900 was paid to a total of 11 personnel under this scheme.
In respect of 2009, no awards have been authorised for payment under this scheme.
Performance awards for other civil service grades are made to individual staff members and to groups of staff under a scheme for Recognition of Exceptional Performance of duty. In assessing eligibility for awards, regard is given to the nature and quality of the activities involved and to the circumstances under which they were carried out. Attention is also paid to the grade level of the staff members concerned and to what would be regarded as high quality performance from staff in such grades. In 2008, two individual awards of €700 each, one individual award of €400 and 7 individual awards of €200 each have been made. In 2008 there were 419 members of staff across all grades up to and including Principal Officer level eligible for consideration for an award under the scheme. No amount has been set aside in 2009 under the scheme for Recognition of Exceptional Performance awards.
