Howlin seeks extra €25m for pensions

Eighty-four retired civil servants get pensions of over €100,000 a year — on top of the 28 former politicians and judges receiving similar payments.

As the Cabinet prepares for a savage budget, Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin has sought an extra €25m of taxpayers’ money to fund golden handshakes for civil servants who retired this year.

His department said the €500m budgeted for civil service pensions for 2012 will not be enough because the number retiring is greater than expected.