Serving and former ministers who do not pay back money that was overpaid to them by mistake will not receive their pensions, a Government minister has said, writes Bairbre Holmes.
It emerged last June that around 13,000 current and former civil servants and ministers were to have their pension deductions assessed for possible anomalies.
During Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil yesterday, Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty asked why ten current ministers and 17 former ministers had yet to pay back excess payments, claiming some were overpaid “tens of thousands” of euro.
He said: “This isn’t the Government’s money, it’s not the department’s money, but it’s the public’s money, it is taxpayers’ money.”
Responding on behalf of the Government, Employment Minister Peter Burke said some of the delays were because “a number of clarifications have been sought in relation to the calculations that were brought forward”.
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty asked why ten current ministers and 17 former ministers had yet to pay back excess payments, claiming some were overpaid “tens of thousands” of euro. Photo: Leah Farrell/Rollingnews.ie
“Everyone has a right to ensure that they are paying the correct amount,” he said.
“The Government is crystal clear that any retired civil servant or minister who does not comply or pay back what is due to the Exchequer will not receive their pension.”