Cowen refuses to act on pensions scandal

BERTIE AHERN has relinquished his €83,000 ministerial pension but a number of Fianna Fáil politicians are holding out as Taoiseach Brian Cowen refuses to place any pressure on them.

Mr Cowen continued to insist it was a matter for individuals and said legally, there was nothing he could do to remove the pensions.

But his reluctance to intervene was in sharp contrast with Fine Gael and Labour, which both dealt swiftly with the issue in their own ranks and isolated Fianna Fáil by doing so.