New figures show 22 staff at Irish universities have enjoyed lump sum pension payoffs in excess of €200,000 over the past two years.

Figures supplied by the universities in response to Freedom of Information requests show the highest pension lump sum payout in 2012 and 2013 was received by a retiring member of staff at Dublin City University (DCU), who received €246,810.

The unnamed staff member was one of three retirees to receive pension lump sums of more than €200,000 from the university in 2012 and 2013.

DCU paid out €2.48 million in 2012 and €491,378 in lump sums in 2013.

The figures for Ireland's largest college, University College Dublin (UCD), show one academic received a lump sum of €206,386 in 2013. Three other retirees received €214,064, €208,564 and €207,564 in 2012 .

Lump sum payments at UCD totalled €5.3 million in 2012 and €2.45 million in 2013.

The university’s total pension expenditure in 2013 was €42.5 million, compared with €45.7 million in 2012.

At Trinity College Dublin (TCD), two staff members received lump sum payments in excess of €200,000 in 2013, with total lump sum payments for that year standing at €2.72 million. TCD's total pension bill in 2013 was €26 million, compared with €25.46 million in 2012.

At University College Cork (UCC), three retirees received lump sum payments in excess of €200,000 in 2013. There were two retirees in that bracket in 2012, with the highest payout at €237,367.

Lump sum payments at UCC totalled €2.8 million in 2013, compared with €5.19 million in 2012. The university’s total pension bill came to €20 million in 2013 and €19.3 million in 2012.

At University of Limerick (UL), five lump sums in excess of €200,000 were paid in 2012 and 2013, with the highest at €228,512.

Three staff at NUI Galway received pension lump sums in excess of €200,000 in 2012 and 2013, with lump sum payments totalling €2.1 million and €1.1 million respectively.

NUI Maynooth said no lump sum payments in excess of €200,000 were paid out in 2012 and 2013.