€55m bill for senior ministers' pensions

Beasty

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/836455m-bill-for-senior--ministers-pensions-1891557.html

Cowen's pension pot stands at over €5m, and Harney's at €4m, with several others at over €3m

Despite this being a final salary scheme, the pay cuts they agreed to last year do not affect their pensions

Ardent

I'll tell ya - we're in the wrong game. Our esteemed Dept of Finance sure knows how to look after its own.

Gormley is now eligible for a £3M pension? That's shocking. No wonder this government keeps shtum on criticism of Rody Molloys pension.

What I'd really like to know is how these pensions tally up against those of our minster's counterparts in other countries, e.g., UK, US, France etc. That would make for some interesting reading I bet...

ei.sdraob

this article then is relevant so

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has launched a scathing attack on bankers, describing the bonuses they received as "crazy" and "obscene"

Beasty

And that's from one of the highest earning heads of government in the world (he gets more than Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel and only marginally less than Barack Obama)

jimmmy

Beasty wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/836455m-bill-for-senior--ministers-pensions-1891557.html

Cowen's pension pot stands at over €5m, and Harney's at €4m, with several others at over €3m

Despite this being a final salary scheme, the pay cuts they agreed to last year do not affect their pensions

remember the programme on RTE about 5 or 6 months ago, about all the people on government pensions of over 100k per year ? Why do these fatcats need that, given the state of the public finances and the fact they most likely have their mortgage paid, their kids educated etc ?

Amhran Nua

jimmmy wrote: »

remember the programme on RTE about 5 or 6 months ago, about all the people on government pensions of over 100k per year ? Why do these fatcats need that, given the state of the public finances and the fact they most likely have their mortgage paid, their kids educated etc ?

Is beaurocracy the new rock'n'roll?

jimmmy

more like legalised extortion / corruption.

Seth Brundle

Beasty wrote: »

And that's from one of the highest earning heads of government in the world (he gets more than Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel and only marginally less than Barack Obama)

but surely Cowen et al are worth it. Its not their fault the economy is in tatters - it all down to those feckin Lehman Brothers!

jimmmy wrote: »

Why do these fatcats need that, given the state of the public finances and the fact they most likely have their mortgage paid, their kids educated etc ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greed

ghost_ie

And Harney has the nerve to tell the HSE to cut €800 million from its budget next year

jimmmy

ghost_ie wrote: »

And Harney has the nerve to tell the HSE to cut €800 million from its budget next year

Thats right, should be a couple of billion at least. The HSE now gobbles up 15 billion per year....its not that long since the HSE budget was 10 and 11 billion, and the country survived. Of couuse, when so many are getting so much out of it, the 15 million goes quick. The country cannot afford it, given govt borrowings etc.

Amhran Nua

jimmmy wrote: »

Thats right, should be a couple of billion at least. The HSE now gobbles up 15 billion per year....its not that long since the HSE budget was 10 and 11 billion, and the country survived. Of couuse, when so many are getting so much out of it, the 15 million goes quick. The country cannot afford it, given govt borrowings etc.

The total public sector pay budget is €20 billion or thereabouts, and quangos are in the region of €13 billion. I'd assume not all of the costs are in pay?

jimmmy

Amhran Nua wrote: »

I'd assume not all of the costs are in pay?

Correct, but its the biggest part.

ghost_ie

jimmmy wrote: »

Thats right, should be a couple of billion at least. The HSE now gobbles up 15 billion per year....its not that long since the HSE budget was 10 and 11 billion, and the country survived. Of couuse, when so many are getting so much out of it, the 15 million goes quick. The country cannot afford it, given govt borrowings etc.

The country can't afford all the TD's we have either, or their huge salaries, expenses and pensions. Neither can it afford a chief executive in the HSE and his advisers who get big bonuses on top of their already generous salaries, nor judges whose salaries and pensions rival those of politicians.

seanmb

Can someone explain too me why polititions get their pension as soon as they leave office be they voted out or leave for some other post, A worker in the private sector does not qualify for any pension they earned in a job until they reach retirement age.

Seth Brundle

You shouldn't resurect old threads but to answer your question - they make the rules!