Some 261 earn more than €100,000 at Nama and NTMA

State agencies together employ 22 people earning between €200,000 and €300,000

The number of people earning over €100,000 at the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) and the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) jumped by 15 to 261 in 2018.

New figures provided by the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe show that at the end of last year, there were 98 Nama employees on pay of above €100,000, with 163 in the same bracket at the NTMA. One person at both agencies earned more than €400,000.

The number earning above €100,000 at Nama was steady at 98, as overall numbers employed at the agency fell by 26 to 238 last year.

Those earning more than €100,000 at the NTMA grew by 22 to 163 in 2018, while overall numbers at that agency climbed by 30 to 556.

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The most recent accounts for the NTMA show that its chief executive, Conor O’Kelly received salary and taxable benefits of €485,000 in 2017. The chief executive of Nama, Brendan McDonagh received remuneration in 2017 of €422,807, comprised of salary of €400,079 and taxable benefits of €22,728.

In his written Dáil response to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil’s finance spokesman, Michael McGrath, Mr Donohoe said seven individuals at the NTMA earned between €300,000 and €400,000 last year, while nobody at Nama fell into that category.

15 staff

Some 15 staff members at the NTMA were on pay of between between €200,000 and €300,000, with seven at Nama in the same range, according to Mr Donohoe.

The Minister also confirmed that 90 staff at Nama earned between €100,000 and €200,000 in 2018, with 140 NTMA staff in the same earning bracket.

In his written Dáil reply, Mr Donohoe said: “Total remuneration includes base salary and any taxable benefits paid including performance-related payments, paid in 2018 in respect of 2017.”

On the increase in numbers employed at the NTMA in 2018, a spokesman for the agency said on Wednesday: “Additional staff were required on foot of increased business volumes across the range of the NTMA’s mandates, as well as the NTMA’s statutory requirement to provide staff and other services for the establishment of Home Building Finance Ireland, which opened for business recently.”

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times