Wrong for anyone on €164,000 salary to get additional funding from the State – Cummins

Seanad leader Maurice Cummins has said he believes it is "wrong that anybody on a salary of €164,000 should get additional funding, irrespective of what it is, from the State".

Mr Cummins said he could not verify the truth of a media report that chairman of the Labour Relations Commission Kieran Mulvey had sought to retain €9,000 for his chairmanship of the Irish Sports Council.

The story in the Irish Daily Mail was raised by Fianna Fáil's Marc MacSharry, who said the LRC chairman had asked to be permitted "on top of his salary of €168,000" to keep the additional money for chairing the council.

Mr MacSharry said the report was “extremely concerning” and it appeared Mr Mulvey directly lobbied the Minister for an exemption from the 2012 ban on double-jobbing and double-payments for civil servants who served on boards.

The Government appeared to have agreed this could be done, and the “champion of workers’ rights and deal-maker in all things difficult between the Government and unions, wanted to make an exception and secure an additional €9,000 for himself”.