Former taoisigh to get a €17,000 yearly increase on their pensions

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern suggested he would not be taking the increase. Picture: Eamonn Farrell

Former taoisigh are set to get a €17,000 yearly increase on their pensions as part of pay restoration measures agreed at Cabinet.

The Government has come under fire for restoring pay to over 4,000 of the country's highest-paid civil servants while refusing to pay student nurses.

Under the changes, former leaders of the country will have €17,180 added to pensions worth over €135,000 - their ministerial and taoiseach's pensions combined.

Reductions of 12% on income between €54,000 and €60,000, 17% of the next €40,000, and 28% on anything over €100,000 were introduced under FEMPI measures meaning the likes of Brian Cowen and John Bruton will have taken significant cuts to their pensions, which will be restored from July 1.

Salary increases declined

However, Bertie Ahern, who is also entitled to the increase, suggested he would not be taking it.

He said there was a "substantial review" when he was leaving the Taoiseach's office, which he didn't take, and instead, he had taken four subsequent pay cuts.

A spokesperson for the Department of Public Expenditure said that the FEMPI measures, which committed to slashing €1bn from public pay in 2009, had been reversed for 90% of public servants. 

However, high earners will need to have their restorations confirmed before July 2022.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said there is never a good time to announce pay restoration.

"If this happened next week or the week after I have no doubt we'd be accused of trying to hide it before Christmas, and they are very separate issues," he said.

Student nurses on the frontline

Meanwhile, the Dáil heard that student nurses, who receive a weekly allowance of €50 have "held the hands of dying Covid patients".

But Micheál Martin said student nurses and midwives should never be asked to treat Covid patients and those instances should be investigated.

"That is an abuse. No hospital and no director of nursing should enable that to take place, particularly in the second wave of Covid, which did not have the same impact as the first wave on hospitalisations or ICU occupancy," Mr Martin said.

But both Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Solidarity-PBP TD Richard Boyd-Barrett suggested the student nurses often feed, dress and care for patient.

The Taoiseach said the Government is "not refusing to pay anybody" and a review of allowances will be finalised by the end of this month and "will result in higher allowances for student nurses".

However, Mr Boyd Barrett called on him to pay students the healthcare assistant rate, which they had done at the start of the pandemic.

Ms McDonald pointed to the testimonies of student nurses who do "the hardest work" on wards and are often on their feet for 13-hour days.

Separately Social Democrat co-leader Catherine Murphy raised concerns around a move by local authorities to opt for long leases instead of acquiring housing under Part V.

"At the end of the 25 years, the properties revert to their developers. This appears to be the most expensive way of delivering social housing with no asset at the end," she said.

Mr Martin said he would look into the matter but said significant funding has been allocated for affordable housing measures.