Ireland's highest-paid prison officer earned £75,500 over the last 12 months, while a garda was paid over £68,000, the Department of Justice confirmed yesterday.
The payments include allowances and overtime, bringing the prison officer's pay to four times the average basic of an officer (£19,489) and the garda's pay to over three times the average basic (£22,689).
The specific prison officer was based at Mountjoy Prison as were the four other highest earning officers, the secretary general of the Department, Mr Tim Dalton, told the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts. The others earned £73,700, £72,500, £72,000 and £69,000.
The top-earning garda was a Special Branch detective. Other high earners included two officers based at Dublin Airport who were paid £65,000 and over £62,000, and another Special Branch detective who earned £61,000. A garda who provided security at Leinster House and the National Museum earned £65,000.
The Garda Representative Association insisted last night that these officers were the exception, and would have to have worked seven days a week to earn so much.
A prison source also insisted that an officer would have to work seven days a week to earn so much in one year.
The cost of operating the Garda Witness Security Programme will rise as the Garda tackles more ruthless criminals, Mr Dalton warned yesterday.
The Garda Siochana was allocated £60,000 for the operation of the fund last year but spent just £41,608, the Oireachtas Committee of Public Accounts was told by Mr Dalton.