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BERTIE AHERN AND Brian Cowen were each paid €80,810 in State pensions last year, according to newly-released figures.
The two former Fianna Fáil taoisigh are receiving the highest State pensions of any former politicians with Ahern’s predecessor, John Bruton, receiving a payment of €72,908 last year.
Former tánaiste Michael McDowell received €64,958 last year while his fellow former tánaiste and colleague in the Progressive Democrats, Mary Harney, received €63,478.
Other notable names appearing in a lengthy list released to the Dáil today include the former Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes, who is back in the news lately, and received €45,470 in pension payments last year.
Former Fine Gael minister and current Newstalk presenter Ivan Yates received €28,243 in an annual State pension.
Fianna Fáil councillors Mary Hanafin and Sean Haughey, both of whom are plotting Dáil comebacks, received €49,283 and €16,934 respectively.
The pension payments to former taoisigh and ministers were revealed following questions from Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald to Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin.
Defending the payments, Howlin said that people had a legal entitlement to a pension and that reductions had been applied as far as could be done, according to legal advice received by the government.
He also said: “It is important that pensions comprise an important part of the package that is available to people to get them to work in the public service.
“We will have to start discussing now how to ensure we get quality people to work in the public service because there will be pressures associated with the filling of senior positions when recovery comes and when there will be much more lucrative opportunities in the private sphere.
McDonald said that some public servants are “overpaid and over-pensioned” in contrast to others working in the public sector who are on “poverty wages”.
“I and, I am sure, others are struck by the contrast between the regard for recipients of these payments, which I acknowledge are lawfully due and made, and the low-paid workers within the public service and Civil Service,” she said.
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Council think it will have no negative impact?
They’ve clearly not lived near students who love to party. Especially not fun when you have to be up for work!
@Barry: There article said that antisocial behaviour was out of the scope of a planning application. The ‘no negative effect’ was in relation to the building, not the occupants.
@Barry: they actually come down hard on having parties within Trinity Hall, previously you were allowed one over-nihht guest who had to be signed in prior to 11PM and couldn’t re-enter after that, prior to 11 it was 3 guests who had to be gone by 11, at least those were the rules a few years ago.
Hence, parties on site aren’t the issue, coming and going to off-site parties could be an issue however
Have rent caps been considered in terms of this development. University rents are notoriously overpriced fuelling rent increases in the general rental market.
@Chris O’Connor: Trinity only made a net profit of circa 10 million on student accommodation in 2018, so little chance they will support your view
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/why-should-students-living-at-home-subsidise-those-living-in-campus-accommodation-1.4183312
No different to Temple Bar at weekends prior to Covid…. Smell of urine and vomit overpowering, empty cans and bottles, discarded food containers…. You know… The usual… But that was acceptable because the Pubs were creaming it. Now the ball is in a different court…..
Delighted. Temple road is still one of the quietest streets in Dublin. Plenty of room in the area. Students are largely very respectful in my experience.
Trinity should be ashamed of themselves being associated with this disaster of planning
No argument that the vast majority of students are respectful of local residents, but it only takes a few to cause mayhem. The college needs to take a no-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour. One strike and your out and no return of deposit which should be donated to the local residents association. When mumsy and pop have to fork out a second time I’m sure the ground rules would be explained more forcefully.
Gasly shower of individual’s.
@Peter Bell: You’re not a Trinity graduate yourself?
@Peter Bell: It is usually the ghastly old fart’s who are gasly, especially those who use an apostrophe in a plural word.
The story had significantly less to do with UTIs than the headline may have led one to expect….
have your say