The Department of Finance is carrying out an 'intensive investigation' into bonus payments made to Bank of Ireland staff since the introduction of the bank guarantee scheme.
In a written response to the Labour Party, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said the information provided by the bank was incorrect as it did not take into account 'contractual bonuses' that were performance related.
In a parliamentary question regarding bank bonus payments last December, it was claimed no money was paid out to staff by Bank of Ireland.
Mr Lenihan said the Bank of Ireland had apologised for the matter. 'I have been undertaking, as a matter of urgency, an intensive investigation of the additional payments made by Bank of Ireland since the introduction of the guarantee scheme and of additional payments which it may have intended making in the future,' he said,
He said once completed, the investigation's results would be made available to the Dáil.
Deputy Joan Burton said the revelation was 'deeply disturbing'. She claimed 'the failure of Bank of Ireland to come clean on bonuses is just one further act of deceit'.
'Those responsible for deception must be held to account and the directors still in place since the time of the bank guarantee must be removed,' she added.
