Madam, – With Mary Hanafin now suggesting that Máire Geoghegan Quinn consider her pension in light of the economic situation here (Home News, April 26th), will more Fianna Fáil TDs raise the same question about Bertie Ahern’s €160,000 pension too? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Isn’t it amazing how compartmentalised, in their moralising, our political leaders can be? I admire Mary Hanafin, a good minister who has been very shabbily treated, but surely her call on Máire Geoghegan Quinn to show leadership by giving up her €100,000 pension begs the response, “Fair enough Mary, now when are you going to resign your teaching post?” – Yours, etc,
Madam, – It is encouraging to hear Government ministers speaking out, however belatedly, against former Government ministers receiving pensions while still enjoying full employment. Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív’s comment, “We have certainly led at Oireachtas level”, citing the reduction in expenses by way of illustration, however, bears further scrutiny (Home News, April 26th).
The said reductions still allow Mr Ó Cuív and all TDs to claim unvouched tax-free expenses ranging from €12,000 a year for Dublin TDs to €37,850 for those living 360km from Leinster House for travel and subsistence and an unvouched tax-free amount of €15,000 a year “public representative allowance” for constituency expenses.
Even the lower amount (€27,000 a year tax-free) is considerably higher than the annual salary earned by the low-paid workers in the public service and considerably lower than that received by recipients of “social protection” payments from Mr Ó Cuív’s own Department of Social Protection. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – I welcome the focus (albeit far too recently developed) on the issue of those who draw more than one public pension and/or salary. However, I feel that it is unfair to focus on one person. What about Mary Robinson – how many of the three pensions (at least) to which she is entitled is she currently drawing (as a member of the Seanad, as President and finally as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights)? I think there should be a broader debate on this important issue – perhaps those entitled to public service pensions should only be entitled to one, and this not to be drawn while they are still employed in a job which pays more than the pension? – Is mise,
Madam, – Most of us contribute to a pension scheme over a long working life to generate a pension when we finish working for a relatively short period of time. Irish Government ministers, however, generate very generous pensions over a much shorter period of working life, and can collect a pension from a much earlier age, even if they continue to work.
Against this background, the treatment of the public sector pay cuts in relation to ministers’ pensions merits some scrutiny. The Minister for Finance has ordained that the pay cuts will not impact on public sector pensions until at least end 2011.
If there is an election before then, or, if as anticipated, the deadline is extended beyond the next general election, the impact on current ministers’ lifetime earnings will be: 1. that existing ministers will have their pay cut for less than three years, but their pensions for the rest of their lives will be unaffected. 2. The only ministers who will have paycuts applied in full to pay and pensions will be those who are appointed after the election.
It will be a considerable measure of consolation to wave goodbye to these ministers, but is it any surprise that there was such a ministerial silence over Richie Boucher’s pension? – Yours, etc,