On the day the government was supposedly concerned about the cost of living soaring, it emerged that a civil servant’s fourth pay rise in the space of a year will take his salary to over €300,000.
If ever you wanted a snapshot of unequal Ireland it was yesterday as ministers squabbled about measures to offset inflation as news broke about the ever rising salary of Robert Watt.
While the Taoiseach was doing his best to pretend to feel our pain he was again increasing the salary of the enigmatic Mr Watt for who knows what.
While this great man’s achievements remain a mystery, everyone knows about his salary. What we do know is that this little State of less than five million souls can afford to pay the secretary general of the Department of Health a fourth pay rise in October after getting three others in less than 12 months.
He is now on a salary of close to €300,000 having increased three times, by more than €86,000, since he moved from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last year.
Unfortunately, the package to defray the ever-increasing cost of living for families is likely to be somewhat smaller. In fact, it will be a tiny fraction of even the smallest of Mr Watt’s pay rises as it amounts to €113 at present.
But despair not. Leo Varadkar is riding to the rescue as he believes the planned €113 energy rebate “isn’t enough” to counter rising energy prices.
Thie Tanaiste’s brilliant deduction came after it emerged the annual rate of inflation is running at a 20-year high and the price of electricity and gas has risen by 22.4% and 28% respectively while home heating oil was up 53%.
To say the optics of the government providing a pittance for the public, while handing out Lotto wins for public servants like Mr Watt, isn’t great, would be something of an understatement.
Families will get €113 to cover their spiralling energy bills while Robert Watt is on €816 a day or €24,822 a month.
While Mr Watt is the poster boy for obscene salaries an entire echelon of top civil servants form what many, even senior politicians, believe to be a shadow permanent government.
While we don’t have titles in this country we have an entitled class that has become politically powerful but in no way answerable to the people – or their elected representatives.
What these faceless civil servants do to deserve so much of our money remains a State secret and most of our politicians dare not ask.
One exception is veteran Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness who last week said: “With politics in decline, it’s clear that real power lies with the civil service” which has become “arrogant and unaccountable”.
Writing in the Irish Examiner, Deputy McGuinness, who is chairman of the Oireachtas finance committee, goes on to say: “Its ruling class is formidable and powerful, and a network of connections with vested interests will spring to its defence.”
He also points out that this powerful elite is not confined to the major government departments adding: “The Dail has become a creature of the civil service, as has local government, where 30 or so all-powerful county managers, in full control of county councillors, are taking power further and further away from the people.”
Like all other civil servants Robert Watt will receive a pay increase as part of the Building Momentum civil service pay agreement and, if accepted, will take his salary to €300,847.
This week Deputy McGuinness urged Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath to “get a grip” and described Mr Watt’s salary increase as “‘truly outrageous”.
Meanwhile Mr Watt is on a week-long trip to a health and wellness expo in Dubai with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
The event in the filthy rich Arab state will focus on mental and physical wellbeing for the coming days.
I’m sure the families of the children whose lives have been ruined by the Cahms mental health service in south Kerry, and student nurses working for a pittance, will feel it’s money well spent.
