The Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers TD has sanctioned pay increases for the CEOs of the ESB and Bord na Móna.
The pay increases sanctioned by Minister Chambers for the bosses at the two commercial state energy firms now brings to 16 the number of Ministerial consents to pay increases for CEOs across the commercial State sector.
A spokesman for the Dept of Public Expenditure confirmed today that Minister Chambers consented to the pay increases for the ceos of the ESB and Bord na Móna on Monday of this week, July 6.
The CEO of the ESB Group is Paddy Hayes and the 2025 ESB annual report shows that Mr Hayes’s salary was €318,083 while the CEO of Bord Na Mona is Tom Donnellan and the 2025 annual report showed that Mr Donnellan’s salary was €225,000.
The scale of the salary increases has not been revealed but the overhaul of remuneration for commercial state body CEOs is already resulting in large pay hikes.
This year the CEO of Uisce Éireann, Niall Gleeson will receive an overall pay package this year of €391,953 – an overall rise of €118,000 on his pay package for 2025.
Under the same process, the Government has green-lit a €50,000 pay hike to €250,0000 for the CEO of the Land Development Agency, John Coleman while CEO of the National Stud, Cathal Beale has had his salary increased from €110,569 to €170,000.
Minister Chambers approved the salary increases for the CEOs of the ESB and Bord na Móna following a recommendation by the line Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien.
A spokesman for the Dept of Climate, Energy and the Environment said on Friday: “While Ministerial consent for an increase to CEO remuneration for BnM (Bord na Móna) and ESB has been given, the governance process is not yet completed.
He said: “The matter is expected to be finalised shortly. The Minister is not in a position to disclose further details until the process has concluded.”
A spokesman for the Department of Public Expenditure said that to date “no applications have been rejected” when asked if Minister Chambers has rejected any application for pay increases.
In a written Dáil reply on the issue, Minister Chambers has told Labour Party Finance spokesman Ged Nash TD that there are currently a further five recommendations by line Ministers for pay increases under consideration – and these are for CEO roles at daa, Coillte, TG4, RTÉ and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).
Along with the pay increases for ESB and Bord na Móna sanctioned this week, Minister Chambers has told Aidan Farrelly TD in a separate written Dáil reply the 14 other commercial state bodies where increases have been sanctioned are Uisce Éireann, Iarnród Eireann, Bus Éireann, Bus Átha Cliath, CIÉ, Dublin Port Company, Shannon Airport Group, Gas Networks Ireland, Irish National Stud, Port of Cork, VHI, the Land Development Agency, Port of Waterford and An Post.
Spokesmen for the ESB and An Bord Móna would not be drawn on the approved salary increases.
A spokesman for the ESB would only say: “Following the publication of Review of Remuneration of Chief Executive Officers in Commercial State Bodies in April of last year, ESB provided a submission to the Department of Climate, Energy & the Environment in relation to the salary of ESB’s Chief Executive Officer. A formal response is awaited.”
Explaining the process, Minister Chambers told Deputy Nash and Deputy Farrelly that since 2011 there has been no systematic review of CEO remuneration, thus any increase in salary since that time has taken place on a case-by-case basis.
He said that in April 2024 the Senior Posts Remuneration Committee was requested to perform a review of the remuneration arrangements for the CEOs of commercial state bodies.
He said: “On foot of this review, Government agreed in April 2025 to implement a more structured approach to the remuneration across CEOs in CSBs.”
He said that in terms of the process, proposals are submitted by the Board of the commercial state body to the relevant line Department setting out the proposed new salary and supporting rationale.
He said: “The relevant line Department undertakes an assessment of the proposal, and the relevant Minister subsequently considers the Board’s recommendation, the Department’s analysis, and input from NewERA before making a final decision.
He said: “Following this process, recommendations by the relevant Minister are then submitted for my consent.”
Story by Gordon Deegan
