More than 600 Irish Water staff got 13.1m euro in bonuses in 2024 despite a staggering 60 PER CENT of their treatment plants being substandard. We asked how many employees didn't get their bonus. The answer? A mere fraction...

Published: 17:38, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 17:38, 1 July 2026 Uisce Éireann - formerly known as Irish Water - has defended paying performance bonuses of €13.1 million to staff in 2024, despite almost 60% of treatment plants failing to meet standards. The utility is facing calls to explain why the eye-watering bonuses were paid out to senior management at a time when operational shortfalls were identified in 120 instances at wastewater treatment plants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that 59% of Ireland’s existing treatment plants ‘failed to consistently meet standards set in EPA licences to prevent pollution’ in 2024. The regulator found that ‘nearly half of these’ were due to ‘poor operational management at existing treatment plants’. The EPA has prosecuted Uisce Éireann 35 times for failing to properly treat wastewater. Despite the poor performance, the water utility increased performances bonuses in 2024 by €2.5 million (24%). The figures were provided to the Oireachtas spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), in January and first reported by the Irish Examiner. The EPA has prosecuted Uisce Éireann 35 times for failing to properly treat wastewater However, this was before the company’s 2024 failings were highlighted by the EPA. In 2024, Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, gave 47 of its best-paid employees an average of €21,575 in bonus payments for good performance. Those in its highest salary band for senior executives, paid between €122,000 and €225,000 a year, received between €6,606 and €32,509 – the highest point paid – for performing their work satisfactorily over the 12 months.  Some 103 workers on salaries between €102,000 and €154,000 received average bonus payments of €16,056, while another 459 on salaries of between €83,000 and €125,000 were paid bonuses of €11,733 on average. Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore called on the Taoiseach Micheál Martin to explain in the Dáil why performance bonuses were paid at a time when the water utility was performing poorly. ‘Can the Taoiseach tell me why Uisce Éireann gave 47 of its best-paid employees an average of €21,000 in bonus payments for good performance in 2024, while at the same time there was 120 instances of someone, somewhere not doing his or her job when it came to treating our water and ensuring and protecting our water supply?’ she asked. ‘The public need to see accountability, not a bonus system that doesn’t reflect poor performance,’ she later told the Mail.  The Taoiseach replied that the 59% failing was ‘a very serious point’ that he has raised with Uisce Éireann. ‘In my view, there should not be operational errors or non-performance which then leads to poor water quality.  'The Irish water authority should be the personification of excellence in terms of clean water. An aerial view of Ireland's largest saltwater lagoon Lady's Island Lake which is polluted with algae, contrasted against the sea on the southeast coast of Co Wexford. Photo from June 2025 ‘There has been some pretty poor evidence in some areas where standards have dropped,’ Mr Martin said. The Taoiseach indicated that he would be surprised if those involved in the failings had received bonuses. ‘In fairness to the 47 best-paid employees, I would say they were not involved,’ he said. Ms Whitmore said that ‘someone at the top has to be’. The Taoiseach said: ‘Collectively, there is a question about ethos here. ‘We have had presentations from the EPA and Irish Water and this is an issue,’ he added. Wicklow TD Ms Whitmore told the Irish Daily Mail it was ‘absolutely bizarre’ that performance bonuses were being paid out when the company is under-performing in key areas. ‘These enormous bonuses are being handed out to Uisce Éireann executives when they are clearly failing to meet their licence conditions and treatment standards, and failing to keep our waters clean,’ Ms Whitmore said. Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore called on the Taoiseach Micheál Martin to explain in the Dáil why performance bonuses were paid at a time when the water utility was performing poorly ‘It’s even more concerning when many of the failures were basic maintenance ones. The public need to see accountability for these licence failures, not a bonus system that doesn’t reflect poor performance within Uisce Éireann,’ she said. In a statement to the Mail, Uisce Éireann said that they are it is focused on delivering ‘safe, reliable water and wastewater services and protecting the environment’. They said that their its pay model has been in place since 2013, ‘is consistent’ with other semi-State companies and is ‘is fully compatible with Uisce Éireann’s desire to promote a high-performance culture focused on delivering for the people of Ireland’. Scientists wear protective clothing to analyze and collect samples of wastewater (Stock image) The company added: ‘A full, detailed mid-year review is carried out for each employee with their manager, and another year-end review, before a final rating is decided.  'The performance targets are aligned to the key business deliverables for each team, each department and the business as a whole, reflecting the role the team member has in achieving these targets.’ The CEO of Uisce Éireann, Niall Gleeson, has a total remuneration package of €275,000. This is comprised of comprises a basic salary of €225,000, short-term employee costs of €23,000 and pension entitlements of €27,000. The CEO of Uisce Éireann, Niall Gleeson, has a total remuneration package of €275,000 Mr Gleeson did not receive a bonus, as the CEOs of semi-State companies are precluded from receiving performance-related payments. A Government decision in 2011 prevents CEOs of semi-State companies getting performance-related bonuses. Mr Gleeson previously defended the bonuses while appearing at the PAC saying that they represented ‘value for money’. Around 2,400 directly employed Uisce Éireann staff are eligible for the bonus scheme, excluding approximately 2,100 local authority employees who provide services on its behalf. The utility said just 6.5% of eligible staff, around 150 employees, either received no bonus or had their payment reduced because their performance fell below the required standard in 2024. While CEO Niall Gleeson’s €275,000 package includes a €225,000 salary, he is precluded from receiving a bonus under a 2011 Government decision affecting semi-State chiefs. Mr Gleeson has previously defended the staff bonus scheme in an appearance at the Public Accounts Committee, saying that the scheme represents ‘value for money’. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.