AHERN REQUEST:FORMER TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has written to Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan to request that his office-holder's pension of more than €80,000 be withheld for the duration of the present Dáil.
A spokesman for Mr Ahern said last night that the amount in question was as specified in a statement earlier from the former taoiseach, €83,426 before tax, or approximately €43,000 after tax.
“He wrote to the Minister for Finance this afternoon. He is forgoing his office-holder’s pension for the duration of this Dáil,” the spokesman said.
A statement issued earlier on Mr Ahern’s behalf said: “The report of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector in September 2007 recommended that the salary of taoiseach be increased by 14 per cent from €271,882 to €310,000.
“This increase was not accepted by then taoiseach Bertie Ahern. The pension implication of not accepting the increase was €22,902.
“Bertie Ahern retired as taoiseach on a pension of €111,235.20.
“Mr Ahern’s pension is currently €83,426.40, arising from the reduction of 25 per cent which was applied as he remains a member of Dáil Éireann. After tax Mr Ahern’s pension is circa €43,000.
“If Mr Ahern had accepted the recommendations of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector (September 2007), his pension would have been €134,137; it is, however, €83,426 before tax and circa €43,000 after tax.
“Mr Ahern supports the legislative changes that have been introduced by the Government and if the Government wants him to do something else he will consider that,” the statement concluded.
Mr Ahern’s later request for the pension to be withheld was sent by fax and that he did not engage in any consultation with Mr Lenihan or Taoiseach Brian Cowen beforehand.
The decision by the Government to defer implementation of Cabinet pay rises recommended by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector was announced by Mr Ahern, as taoiseach in the Dáil on December 11th, 2007.
“We wanted to give a good example of our goodwill,” he said at the time.
“A government has never rejected a report by this body since it was set up in 1969.
“The recommendations of reports have been phased in, delayed or postponed but have never been rejected.”
Outlining the background to the decision at the time, he said the Government was “mindful that the November exchequer figures were not as good as hoped”.
He added: “We are in a tighter position” and therefore to go ahead . . . “would perhaps not be reasonable”.