Allowances cull ‘needs to be more extensive’

The cull of public sector allowances needs to be more extensive than the 88 earmarked for elimination, according to the chairman of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee.

Chairman John McGuinness (FF) said his committee will have a “comprehensive report” within weeks of all 1,100 allowances, with recommendations of which ones should be added to the list for elimination.

The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday that the 88 allowances identified for abolition amount to €30.5m, meaning the savings would be far short of the €150m a year originally promised by Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure and reform minister.