Staff at Irish Water and its parent company Ervia can earn an extra bonus payment of up to 3% of their salary, it has been revealed.

Fianna Fáil is urging the Environment Minister to urgently respond to the revelations despite Minister Alan Kelly saying last December that he does not want to see the emergence of a bonus culture at the super quango.

Spokesperson on Environment and Local Government Barry Cowen TD Deputy Cowen commented: "Minister Kelly must immediately clarify the reports that staff at Irish Water and its parent company Ervia are entitled to an extra bonus payment of up to 3% of their salary on top of individual performance-related payments. What we are seeing is essentially a situation whereby Irish Water staff are being paid bonuses on top of bonuses despite the fact that the company has been embroiled in controversy since its creation. It is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

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"When the government approved the new board for Ervia, the parent company tasked with overseeing Irish Water, it said that the bonus culture at the super quango would be eradicated. Minister Kelly is on record as having said that he does not want to see the emergence of a bonus culture at the water utility. However now it seems the Minister only made the comments in order to get himself out of a hole at a time when Irish Water was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons."

(CD/MH)