Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has confirmed that there are 216 local authority staff currently earning more than €100,000 each.

The top earner is Dublin City Council's chief executive Owen Keegan, who earns €175,721 a year.

Mr Keegan has been in the limelight during the past week as a result of the controversy over the Garth Brooks concerts.

In figures provided by Mr Hogan, three other chief executives earn more than €150,000 – Tim Lucey at Cork County Council, Paul Reid at Fingal County Council and Daniel McLoughlin at South Dublin County Council, each earning €150,977 annually.

Mr Lucey and Mr Reid were appointed to their posts this year with Mr McLoughlin appointed last year.

Salary

The figures show that four chief executives are in receipt of €142,966 in annual salary –

Jackie Maguire

in Meath;

Philomena Poole

of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and

Ann Doherty

, who has recently been appointed in Cork City.

Those chief executives earning the next salary level of €133,072 include Conn Murray, the chief executive of Limerick City and County, Tom Coughlan (Clare), Séamus Neely (Donegal), Martina Moloney (Galway); Joe Crockett (Kilkenny), Peter Hynes (Mayo), Joe McGrath (Tipperary), Pat Gallagher (Westmeath), Tom Enright (Wexford), Eddie Sheehy (Wicklow), Michael Walsh (Waterford City and County), along with the recently appointed chief executive of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell.

Figures

The figures also show that chief executives from Galway City, Carlow, Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Sligo councils receive a salary of €123,910.

According to the Minister, the 216 staff represent “under 1 per cent of the total local authority staff complement, on salary scales the maximum points of which are in excess of €100,000”.

The grades concerned are chief executives, assistant chief executives and directors of service”.

Separate figures provided by Mr Hogan show a total of 167 local authority officials earn between €100,000 and €125,000.