€9 million splashed on government boards as wives also benefit irregularly

More than €9 million was spent remunerating members of government-appointed boards and committees in 2023, while some also received additional allowances and benefits outside the provisions of the applicable rules, including health insurance covering spouses or partners.

The Auditor General’s October 2026 report reveals inconsistent payment practices across ministries, with extra benefits, incorrect remuneration rates and payments to members whose boards held no formal meetings.

The €9 million covered remuneration for 361 categorised government-appointed bodies, comprising 2,516 remunerated membership positions, mostly partisan appointments. It excluded allowances and benefits, as well as payments to bodies that remained uncategorised.

Across the audit’s scope, there were 462 bodies and 3,901 membership positions. These figures do not necessarily represent separate individuals, since one person could sit on several boards, as is the case of ‘retired’ Judge Antonio Mizzi and the PM’s former assistant Ryan Pace, who has 12 paid positions and many others.

The NAO found that some members, mostly chairpersons, received benefits beyond their stipulated remuneration. These included expense allowances, health insurance, communication allowances, car and fuel allowances, and mobile expenses.

In some cases, health insurance also covered a beneficiary’s spouse or partner.

Such extras were not provided for in either the Manual governing board remuneration or the memorandum regulating Constitutional bodies.

The Cabinet Office said Permanent Secretaries could approve allowances and benefits, but that authority was not set out in the Manual.

Information supplied to auditors identified more than €580,000 in additional allowances accumulated from their introduction up to the end of 2023.

The NAO considered this figure conservative because the information received was incomplete.

Separately, just over €500,000 was paid during 2023 to remunerated members of uncategorised bodies. Limited information prevented auditors from verifying the rates applied.

The review also identified commercial bodies whose incorrect classification overstated members’ remuneration. Other members remained on outdated salary scales, while some deputy chairpersons received less than their prescribed entitlement.

In a few cases, annual remuneration was paid even though no formal meetings were convened during 2023. Other boards met only once or twice but paid fixed remuneration rather than hourly rates.

The report did not identify the boards involved in these cases or quantify the associated payments.