Almost £100 million in overtime was paid to public servants last year, with the highest individual payment of £38,378 over and above normal salary going to a prison officer.
Of the £97.9 million paid in overtime, £44.2 million went to members of the Garda Siochana.
The prison service took the next largest part - £28.8 million - with staff of the Department of Agriculture and Food getting £7.6 million.
The Garda overtime figure has risen substantially from £16.8 million in 1995, to £37.7 million in 1996, and last year's £44.2 million.
Overtime payments now account for 13 per cent of Garda pay, up from 6 per cent in 1995. They form 30 per cent of the prison service pay bill, up from 16.3 per cent in 1995.
The report gives no explanation of the high level of Garda overtime. However, the payments appear not to have come as a surprise as the total Garda bill for salaries, wages and allowances at £343.8 million is below the £350.6 million budgeted.
In the prison service, the pay bill including overtime came to £88.4 million, £11.5 million more than was budgeted. The simple explanation given is that "the excess arose because the overtime allocation was not sufficient to meet the operational needs of the prisons in 1997". An excess of £933,000 in the Garda travel and subsistence bill was due to increased activity resulting from the BSE situation, immigration duties and the investigation of serious crimes, including murders.
The excess of £703,000 on transport was due to a higher than expected level of expenditure on the maintenance and running costs of the Garda fleet due to an increase in its age, size and mileage.
A £595,000 overspend on Garda telecommunications and post was attributed to the increased usage of mobile phones.
Expenditure on the prison and welfare service at £4.3 million was £500,000 higher than planned.
This was due mainly to higher than expected spending on the drugs therapy programme in Mountjoy prison; payment of arrears to hostels and workshops; and the more rapid than expected development of projects.
Payments totalling £417,168 - ranging from £100 to £47,806 - were made for claims arising out of injuries received by 25 prison officers and two trades officers while on duty.
Some 51 prisoners received a total of £309,962 in payments as a result of claims for injuries. The payments ranged from £750 to £41,507.