Ministers set for ‘golden goodbye’

Ministers who lost their seats in the general election are set to receive a ‘golden goodbye’ with huge pensions, severance payments and termination lump sums.

Figures calculated by the Irish Examiner show the massive sums paid out to departing Fianna Fáil TDs which will cost the taxpayer some €2.25 million for one year.

The top pension and redundancy pay-off will go to Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, who is in line for a combined annual ministerial and TD’s pension of some €137,011 — plus a once-off lump-sum payment and a termination package of some €237,792.