Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal released a list of the top 25 earners of the decade and it got us thinking.

Who are the best paid civil and public servants in Ireland? So we compiled a list from their respective annual reports. We’ve put their salaries together with the value of their known benefits and bonuses.

Perhaps the new McCarthy group will want to take a look at this.

1. Padraig McManus, CEO, ESB, €654,309

2. Declan Collier, CEO, Dublin Airport Authority, €568,100

3. John Corrigan, Head of NTMA, €500,000 + (Estimated as NTMA refuses to release salary details)

4. Brendan McDonagh, Head of NAMA, €500,000 + (Estimated as NAMA refuses to release salary details)

5. Mike Aynsley, CEO, Anglo Irish Bank, €500,000

6. Donal Connell, CEO, An Post €500,000

7. Cathal Magee, Chief Executive, HSE €415,000

8. Donal Byrne, CEO, Eirgrid, €407,000

9. John Mullins, CEO, Bord Gais, €394,000

10. Gabriel D’arcy CEO, Bord na Mona, €392,000

And what does poor old Taoiseach Brian Cowen earn? A measly €228,000 – not bad in comparison to his British counterpart David Cameron who’s only pulling in €169,500. There are sixty-six civil and public servants on higher pay than Cowen according to The Sunday Tribune.