CELEBRATIONS in Brussels to mark the end of the Irish EU Presidency have been marred by the news that the special bonus payments being made to Department of Foreign Affairs diplomats involved in running the presidency are not being made to officials from other departments, reports Paddy Smyth.
The payments of up to £2,600 for the more senior non overtime grade officials are being made by the Department of Foreign Affairs to those at first secretary and counsellor grades who have been involved full-time in the work of the presidency. A spokesperson for the Department in Dublin said the special payments had been approved by the Department of Finance on the basis of a claim by the Department of Foreign Affairs branch of the Association of Higher Civil Servants (AHCS) last May.
The fact that other branches had not made similar claims for the "exceptional performance and extra attendance" allowances did not mean the payments could not be made by individual departments eventually, the spokesperson said.