139 senior health managers are to lose their controversial 'top-up' payments from July - including top executives at some of the biggest hospitals in the country.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has ordered hospitals and other groups to stop the top-up payments.

It has told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that allowances to the senior officials will be stopped from July 1st.

The decision comes after a review of over 200 business cases sent by the so-called 'Section 38' agencies who wanted to keep some payments.

The abolition of the allowances will affect senior officials at institutions including Temple Street, St. Vincent's, St. James's, The Mater, Crumlin Children's Hospital and the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC).

The HSE has written to all Section 38 groups, forbidding them from using private income to pay officials above the limits of the public sector pay policy.