Special Report: Fine Gael trio sitting on shared pension pot of €5m

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, and newly appointed Communications Minister Richard Bruton are entitled to a generous set of retirement benefits whenever they choose to bow out of political life, writes Daniel McConnell

The Government has been accused of “hiding” behind GDPR rules to prevent transparency and accountability after it emerged it will no longer release details of pension payments to former senior office holders.

The Irish Examiner has confirmed that the Department of Finance is refusing to publish new details of pension payments to former taoisigh such as Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen this year, despite doing so for decades. Last year, the finance accounts showed Mr Ahern and Mr Cowen were both paid €81,209 in ministerial pension payments.