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Ministerial Pensions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 October 2013

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Questions (26)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

26. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide in tabular form the post-Haddington Road agreement annual pension payment to former office holders and, where applicable, to provide former details of Ministers' and taoisigh TD pensions also in a separate column. [42512/13]

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Written answers

All public service pensions above €32,500 were reduced on 1 July 2013 as provided for in the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013; the Government's intention to proceed with this change was noted in the Haddington Road Agreement.

In addition, a further effective pension cut applies, with effect from 1 September 2013, in the case of persons who receive two or more public service pensions which have a combined value in excess of €32,500. This further pension cut is based on applying the "Public Service Pension Reduction" (PSPR) to the combined value of the multiple public service pensions held by such a person, rather than to each such pension individually. This aggregation of pensions for PSPR purposes reduces the overall public service pension income of affected pensioners, including significant numbers of pensioners who receive both a TD pension and a Ministerial pension.

Actual application of these PSPR aggregation-derived adjustments is currently in train across public service pensioner payrolls. The overall process is complicated by several factors, including the need in each case to make co-ordinated adjustments to at least two pensions, along with the different payroll schedules and payment periodicities of pensioner payrolls. On this basis it is - unfortunately - not possible at present to supply a finalised list of Ministerial and TD pension amounts which would comprehensively reflect all of the PSPR aggregation-related reductions impacting pensions with effect from 1 September 2013. I nonetheless expect that this information will be to hand shortly and I will have it forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.

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