THE PAY AND pension package for Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid last year increased to €420,103.

Reid has been leading the HSE fight against Covid-19 over the past year and in his role as the CEO of the largest employer in the State, he heads up an organisation employing more than 100,000 people.

New figures released in response to a Freedom of Information request show he was the best paid non-medical member of HSE staff last year by some distance.

The figures show his basic pay was €370,136 and allowances came to €49,966.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said on Tuesday that Reid “is not a member of the HSE pension scheme and €49,966 is a payment in lieu of pension contribution”.

She stated: “The rates of pay, allowances and other pay-related conditions for HSE employees are approved by the Department of Health.”

The numbers of HSE non-medical staff earning more than €100,000 increased by 27% or 144 from 534 in 2019 to 678 last year due to public sector pay rises.

Reid’s basic pay of €370,000 is substantially higher than the current salary of €211,742 for the office of An Taoiseach.

Reid and the top 10 best paid non-medical staff in the HSE — mainly managers — last year shared an aggregate €2m in pay.

Reid’s appointment to the post of CEO in the HSE was given the go-ahead by Cabinet in April 2019 on a salary of €350,000.