Analysis: Watt’s waiving of pay rise gets ministers off the hook – for now

The controversy around the appointment of the secretary general at the Department of Health highlights the need for a transparent process for setting the pay of senior civil servants

Robert Watt, the new secretary general at the Department of Health, has decided to temporarily waive the €80,000 pay increase he was in line for, sparing the government a public backlast. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

So in the end, Robert Watt got the job but not the pay rise.

There will have been more than a few ministers who breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that the high-profile civil servant had decided to temporarily waive the €80,000 pay increase he was in line for after being appointed as the new secretary general at the Department of Health.

Most ministers will be glad Watt has been given the role ...