€2.7m in pensions for retired judges, €1.8m for former ministers

RETIRED judges, including controversial former Supreme Court judge Hugh O’Flaherty, received pensions worth £2.7m last year.

Mr O'Flaherty, who resigned as a Supreme Court judge in 1999 following uproar over the early release from prison of Dublin architect Philip Sheedy, received £40,000 last year.

Former government ministers also received pensions worth £1.8m, including Charles Haughey, who received £55,300 for his 35 years as a TD and his four terms as Taoiseach.

Disgraced former minister Ray Burke, who was found to have acted corruptly by the Flood Tribunal, received £28,600.

While neither Mr Haughey nor Mr Burke have been tried in relation to corruption claims, both men will keep their pensions even if found guilty of a criminal offence.

Other former Taoisigh are also in receipt of large pensions, including Albert Reynolds (£54,600), Garret Fitzgerald (£51,800) and John Bruton (£38,100).

Dr Patrick Hillary is the recipient of the largest state pensions, receiving almost £100,000 a year for his terms as minister and president.

Former president Mary Robinson received £77,400, while Rita Childers, wife of Erskine Childers, received a £38,700 pension.

There were also severance payments to former government ministers who left their office mid-way through their term. These include David Andrews (£25,000) who retired from his ministry at Foreign Affairs and Chris Flood (£11,200), who left his junior ministry for health reasons.