Although no names were mentioned in a statement from the Department of Finance, many semi-state bosses are on packages worth twice that of the taoiseach and his ministers. The former head of Aer Lingus, Willie Walsh, received a 544,000 package, more than twice that earned by the taoiseach, before he resigned in early 2005. Walsh's successor, Dermot Mannion, is the highest paid semi-state boss on 517,000 a year, a salary that dwarfs Brian Cowen's salary of 200,000.

Now, after a committee of senior civil servants found that "in some cases" chief executives were being paid "above the norm, " the Department of Finance has issued renewed pay guidelines for commercial semi-state bosses.

The department warned that while the semi-states have been allowed to offer market rates as opposed to capped public sector rates in order to lure top executives, the department still determines the pay range and semi-states are informed "on a regular basis of the upper limit of that range."

On bonuses, which can be up to 25% of basic pay, the department said the full bonus payment should only be made where the chief executive has met all the performance targets. They should not be based on results "which are attributable primarily to external factors such as changes in the general economic climate.

"Full bonus payments should be the exception rather than the rule, " the department said.

Last year, Padraig McManus of ESB received a bonus of over 45,000 and a "long-term incentive payment" of over 62,000. Combined, this comes to 107,000, or 36% of his 297,000 basic salary.

In its statement last week, the Department of Finance also noted that in the past there have been some instances of "generous termination clauses for senior managers." "The norm should be up to six months and in no case should it exceed one year, " the department warned.

While, again, no company was named, in 2004 the then minister for transport, Seamus Brennan, clashed with the chief executive of Aer Rianta, Margaret Sweeney, following government plans to dissolve the semi-state and set up the Dublin Airport Authority.

In the end, Sweeney received compensation of 845,615 . . . almost three years' pay . . . although Sweeney had only been chief executive for a few months.

Best-paid chief executives of semi-state organisations (2005) Package includes basic, bonus, pension and 'other' benefits, including company car Dermot Mannion Aer Lingus /517,000 Padraig McManus ESB /478,000 Donal Curtin* An Post /416,000 Cathal Goan RTE /363,000 Martin Lowery Coillte /356,000 Declan Collier Dublin Airport Authority /331,000 Gerry Walsh Bord Gais /316,000 Eamon Brennan Irish Aviation Authority /296,000 * resigned 2006