Caps on secretary general salaries ‘merit consideration’ – Simon Harris

This is despite Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe saying it would be “very difficult” to implement a cap in the new public sector pay agreement.

Highest earning civil servant Robert Watt, who is the secretary general at the Department of Health, is set to earn around €326,000 after the latest public sector pay deal kicks in.

He will benefit from seven pay rises worth a total of 9.25pc under a new public sector wage deal that runs up to the middle of 2026, bringing his salary to around €326,000.

“I don’t want to personalise it to any one individual, obviously, there was a Public Sector Pay Agreement and that does see all people right across the public service benefit,” said Mr Harris.

“In relation to the broader issue of sec gen pay and the likes, I know this is an area that we will be giving consideration to in the context of how sec gens are appointed in the future.

“I think it’s something that merits consideration in the future but I am not relating this to any one individual. Individuals are hired under a contract and individuals then obviously can benefit from the Public Sector Pay deal as can others.”

He said the “most important thing” in regards to the Department of Health is the “outcomes and how we can continue to make improvements”.

This is despite Mr Donohoe saying these are just the “very early days” of the new agreement.

“That new wage agreement applies to all public servants,” Mr Donohoe said, adding that it “does not include a cap”.

“This is because we have a whole variety of civil servants that are on very different levels of wages and because of that, it would be very difficult to implement a cap in the agreement.”.

Ireland's highest-paid civil servant is in line to earn over 300k a year as a result of a new public sector pay deal

Secretary generals are the highest paid civil servants in Government Departments.

The extent of Mr Watt’s salary has often been criticised.

Mr Watt previously received a pay rise of €81,000 when he moved from his former role as secretary general at the Department of Public Expenditure to the Department of Health in 2021.