Notes Forming Part of the Consolidated Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 December 2019

5. Employee benefits expense


2019

2018

The average number of employees during the financial year was as follows:



Ferries

218

218

Container & Terminal

91

92


309

310




The number of employees at the financial year-end was

307

311


2019

2018


€m

€m

Aggregate costs of employee benefits were as follows:



Wages and salaries

18.7

17.8

Social insurance costs

1.8

1.7

Defined benefit obligations – current service cost (note 33 vii)

1.5

1.7

Defined benefit obligations – curtailment gain (note 33 vii)

(0.1)

(0.5)

Defined contribution pension scheme – pension cost (note 33)

0.4

0.2

Share-based payment expense (note 32)

2.1

2.4

Total employee benefit costs incurred

24.4

23.3

Wages and salaries costs capitalised

(0.1)

(0.5)

Total employee benefit expensed in the Income Statement

24.3

22.8

Staff costs of €0.1 million were capitalised during the financial year (2018: €0.5 million) in relation to management and supervision of the contracts for the construction of new vessels. Of the total employee expense of €24.3 million, €0.5 million comprising €0.3 million wages and salaries and €0.2 million share based payment expense was included within the non-trading item (note 10).