A retired local authority employee who received a pension and a lump sum of €340,000 had been given a senior job in Irish Water, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told the Dáil.
He said another former local authority employee, who received a pension and a lump sum of €270,000, had also been hired by the company.
Mr Martin said they were moving "seamlessly to Irish Water, where they will again receive very high salaries and top-up bonuses as well''.
For the second day in the Dáil the Fianna Fáil leader challenged Taoiseach Enda Kenny on the issue, claiming Mr Kenny had refused to answer the question on Tuesday, while Irish Water had also refused to confirm or deny the allegation.
“Does the Taoiseach consider it right that this should happen and that such staff should move into positions where there will be top-up bonuses in addition to what they already have? Does he think it is fair or right, and does he stand over it?’’
Denying he had refused to answer the question, Mr Kenny said the detail involved was not available to him. He had confirmed that Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan had formally written to Irish Water chief executive John Tierney seeking information on all aspects of remuneration. That information would be made public when it was supplied to the Minister.
“As I said to Deputy Martin last week and the previous week, Irish Water is a public utility and will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. It will also be subject to parliamentary questions in the House.’’
Mr Martin insisted the Taoiseach had the answers and knew the story. "What I have said is fact.''
Young talented people
Mr Martin said there were many young talented people who were specialists in water and did not get a look-in when it came to recruiting senior personnel to the company. "More than half the staff are from local authorities, Bord Gáis and other State agencies, or from companies that had strong connections with these.''
The perception was that there was “an inside track, a club of sorts, operating in terms of recruitment practices’’.
Mr Kenny said Mr Martin did not stand by his own word.
“He is the person who said that members of his party, who were afraid to face the people, would not walk away with pay-outs and he did not live up to his word. I am telling Deputy Martin the truth; I do not have the answer to the question he asked.’’
Mr Martin said the Taoiseach could make a telephone call to the Irish Water chief executive and he would find out the information very quickly.
“It is in the newspapers already,’’ he added.
Mr Kenny replied: “Deputy Martin sat on the government side of the House with people who walked away with substantial bonuses.’’
He accused Mr Martin of having changed his spots a thousand times. "I have already confirmed that Irish Water will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.''
Many years
Pressed further by Mr Martin and other FF TDs to say if it was right to hire former local authority employees on pensions, Mr Kenny said a system had applied for many years.
“Are we to change it now?’’ he asked.
Mr Kenny repeated that, in the interests of transparency and accountability, Mr Hogan had written to the Irish Water chief executive to secure the information.
