Ministerial Pensions

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

what kind of tax rate do they pay on those pensions?

phuck really as well it doesnt seem to be working , there seems to be scandal after scandal with that lot. Anyone who gets elected should have a pension based on 10 points they are going start, abolish or change with regards to the country as their manifesto. If they get elected and get 2 points out of 10 then they should get 20% of the overall pension and no more. I have never seen a job so obnoxiously riddled with goodies and cash and very little accountability they walk into the game promise the sun moon and stars, fill their pockets and then ride off into the sunset with a massive pension and hand the reigns over to the next mouthpiece cowboy promising more..

There is huge issues with the costs for our public sector - who are all looking for 10% pay rise btw. At a time when all he rest of us mere mortals head into the oncoming recession with huge hikes in energy bills and a certainty that the environment for the private sector company to continue to survive being eroded as they will not be able to afford the energy bills and pay rises to keep up with inflation and keep a decent profit , add in the fact that getting a loan will be a hell of lot more expensive as well.

That depends on their personal tax allowances etc. the same as any other tax payer.

As for the OP, who ever said democracy is cheap ?

Teachers requests are assessed case by case by the Board of Management. Civil servants can’t be politically active.

”5.2 (a) Civil servants are not permitted to seek a nomination or to stand for election to either House of the Oireachtas or to the European Parliament. This

restriction applies to all categories of staff. Civil servants above clerical level cannot stand for local election.”