Local Authority Staff Remuneration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2013

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Questions (417)

Niall Collins

Question:

417. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form analysed by local authority, the amounts of any payment to managers and directors of service in excess of their basic salary; the reason it was approved by his Department; a description of the payment; the process of sanctioning such a payment; if it forms part of pensionable salary; the duration of such payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54383/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

The salaries for county and city managers, effective from 1 July 2013, are set out in the table:

Local Authority Manager	Salary
Dublin City Council	€ 175,721
Cork County Council Fingal County Council South Dublin County Council	€ 150,977
Cork City Council Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Kildare County Council Meath County Council Limerick City and County Council	€ 142,966
Clare County Council Donegal County Council Galway County Council Kerry County Council Kilkenny County Council Louth County Council Mayo County Council North and South Tipperary County Council Westmeath County Council Wexford County Council Wicklow County Council	€ 133,072
Galway City Council Waterford City Council Carlow County Council Cavan County Council Laois County Council Leitrim County Council Longford County Council Monaghan County Council Offaly County Council Roscommon County Council Sligo County Council Waterford County Council	€ 123,910

The pay scale for Director of Service, effective from 1 July 2013 extends from €85,217 to €100,348.

County and City Managers and Directors of Service are entitled to claim for travel and subsistence costs incurred as part of their official duties, in accordance with the relevant travel and subsistence circulars. All local authorities are obliged to ensure that only essential travel is undertaken and that related expenditure is critically appraised and monitored.

A County or City Manager may claim up to 7.5% of their salary in substitution of motor mileage rates contained in the travel and subsistence circulars, where a local authority considers that those allowances do not adequately recompense the Manager for the extent to which their car is used for official business.

A Manager or Director of Service may claim an allowance in respect of entertainment expenses incurred by them in the course of their duties. The level of allowance is related to the number of Directors of Service, as set out in the following table:

-	€
County or City Manager	Up to €2,095
Manager and one Director of Service	Up to €3,683
Manager and two Directors of Service	Up to €5,270
Manager and three or more Directors of Service	Up to €6,858

County and City Managers with designated responsibility for a Regional Authority may claim an allowance of €5,662 per annum in respect of these responsibilities. In addition, in one instance, a once-off ex-gratia payment of €30,000 was sanctioned in 2012 in respect of a Director of Service who, on an interim basis, had taken on the duties of interim CEO of the Limerick Regeneration Agencies, prior to their reintegration into the Limerick local authorities.

These expenses/allowances are not reckonable for pension purposes.

My Department has recently written to all local authorities requesting confirmation regarding their compliance with public sector pay policy.