Taoiseach and staff pensions to cost €800,000

THE annual salary of top civil servants and of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will be close to an astonishing €800,000 once pension entitlements are factored in, the Irish Examiner has established.

A submission made by the Department of Finance to the review group for higher remuneration in the public sector makes a forceful argument for restraint on salary hikes for higher public servants.

The document, which has been seen by the Irish Examiner, highlights three areas of concern — the lack of evidence of any difficulty in recruiting or retaining senior staff; the “security of tenure” enjoyed by all public servants; and Finance’s conclusion that “pension arrangements available in the public sector [are] substantial”.