Ministerial Pensions

Mary Coughlan has been on 104K + since she turned 50 I think, she's about 55 now, so only another 30+ years pulling in that same amt (index linked to present and future earnings of the tainaiste) so roughly 4 million in pension for 24 years in the Dial...

These pensions being quoted here are typically made up of TD pension + Minister pension.

The TD pension is very similar to all public servants pensions, that is 50% of the final salary.

TD wage = 100k, so the TD pension is 50k.

However, the key difference is that a PS needs 40 years worked/in pension scheme to get the max 50% pension.

A Garda or Judge needs 30 years I think.

A TD needs 20 years service to get the max 50% pension.

It is perfectly legitimate to question the pay of public servants whilst working another job and having no interest in becoming a TD.

Why on earth do you think only people who have tried to become a TD themselves can question the salaries and pensions they receive.

PS workers or Gardai don't not have to reapply for their job every 5 years or less.

And the success in that reapplication is often out of their own hands depending on how the public feel about their party, the government or the country in general.

This question doesn't make sense.

Please elaborate.

If you mean receiving several pensions, that is completely normal.

I myself will receive three pensions.

This is a lot of money and I say it is the right thing to do. For high rank person; like the Ministry.

It would be hard to argue that she deserves any compensation, given her record.

Turn the question around - do you believe that Violet-Anne Wynne deserves a TDs pension for her 'hard work' in public office?

Well of course she deserves a pension for her work as a TD.

Suggesting otherwise is like saying "timmyntc, I don't think you deserve a pension for your last five years work, hard luck".

People think a TDs work is easy, it's not.

You are at the beck and call of your constituents 24*7 365.

If it was easy a lot more people would be trying to do it.

And all that could be to no avail if you don't get re-elected.

A lot more people ARE trying to do it - look at how many cranks and independents etc run for election every cycle. There is no shortage of candidates, thats for sure.

I pay for my pension, its my money invested and paid back to me. I dont get any more back than the value of my investment. TDs pensions are not the same. And Ministerial pensions are something else

I don't think there have ever been four successive Dail terms that went to the full five years. You would need to have been elected at least five times.

Don't forget Ivan Yeats. Ran off to Wales and declared bankruptcy leaving hundreds of employees and suppliers seriously out of pocket. After a year he came back debt clear and 100k a year in his back pocket from his ministerial pension which was never touched to help the people he shafted.

Hard to know how long more Public Sector Defined Benefit pensions generally can be continued, practically all private sector workers are on DC pension arrangements.

Pay politicians poorly and you are basically ensuring that you either get candidates who are:

1) so rich that the poor pay doesn't bother them

2) enticed by the opportunities for corruption and how they can use that to enrich themselves so that the poor pay doesn't matter

3) so incompetent that they'd never manage to get a well-paid job anyway so aren't missing out on much

4) a combination of the above

Paying politicians well doesn't guarantee you avoid 1-4 above - but it opens the possibility of getting capable people interesting in politics as a career also.

The old saying goes "pay peanuts, get monkeys" - the extension of that is that paying peanuts plus a healthy pile of cash will also get monkeys applying, but should hopefully get a few decent candidates too