Former taoisigh are set to get a €17,000 yearly increase on their pensions as part of pay restoration measures agreed at Cabinet.
As the Irish Examiner reports, the Government has come under fire for restoring pay to over 4,000 of the country's highest-paid civil servants while refusing to pay student nurses.
Under the changes, former leaders of the country will have €17,180 added to pensions worth over €135,000 - their ministerial and taoiseach's pensions combined.
Reductions of 12 per cent on income between €54,000 and €60,000, 17% of the next €40,000, and 28 per cent on anything over €100,000 were introduced under FEMPI measures meaning the likes of Brian Cowen and John Bruton will have taken significant cuts to their pensions, which will be restored from July 1.
However, Bertie Ahern, who is also entitled to the increase, suggested he would not be taking it.
Public servants
He said there was a "substantial review" when he was leaving the Taoiseach's office, which he did not take, and instead, he had taken four subsequent pay cuts.
A spokesperson for the Department of Public Expenditure said that the FEMPI measures, which committed to slashing €1bn from public pay in 2009, had been reversed for 90 per cent of public servants.
However, high earners will need to have their restorations confirmed before July 2022.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said there is never a good time to announce pay restoration.
“If this happened next week or the week after I have no doubt we'd be accused of trying to hide it before Christmas, and they are very separate issues,” he said.
