Housing and media ministers yet to enter plan to repay incorrect pension deductions

Some ministers must pay the State back up to €30,000 following administrative errors at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) that resulted in the incorrect deduction of pension contributions.

Housing minister James Browne and media minister Patrick O’Donovan are the only two of 10 cabinet members who have yet to enter a payment plan to repay incorrect pension deductions.

While several ministers and their advisers did not respond to queries, 18 confirmed that they had either paid back money to the exchequer or have entered a payment plan.

Enterprise minister Peter Burke told the Dáil on Thursday that anyone who refused to pay the money back will not receive their pension.

A spokesperson for Mr Burke said his case had been "resolved" and this had "absolutely" happened before January 6.

It was confirmed in June that some ministers must pay the State back up to €30,000 following administrative errors at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) that resulted in the incorrect deduction of pension contributions for members of the current Government, some members of previous governments, and several office holders.

Housing minister James Browne has yet to repay the money or enter a payment plan.

At the finance committee on Wednesday, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers said that 32 current ministers owed money to the State. 

He said 10 had yet to start paying back the money or enter a payment plan.

Of 15 Cabinet ministers, 13 responded by Thursday evening to questions from the Irish Examiner.

A spokesman for Mr Browne said he is “in an ongoing engagement and seeking clarifications with the NSSO at present".

A spokesperson for Mr O’Donovan confirmed “he is engaging with NSSO regarding this matter with a view to finalising it”.

A spokesman for Micheál Martin said the “Taoiseach engaged and sorted any issues with the NSSO a number of months ago”.

Tánaiste Simon Harris's spokesman said he has “no issues” with the NSSO.

Media minister Patrick O'Donovan has also not entered a payment plan.

A spokesman for higher education minister James Lawless said he had “paid in full”, while spokespeople for Dara Calleary, Jack Chambers, and Hildegarde Naughton confirmed they had entered payment plans. 

Darragh O'Brien has also entered a payment plan after an initial queries and a miscalculation.

Additionally, it was confirmed that neither Jennifer Carroll MacNeill nor Martin Heydon are among the ministers yet to enter into agreements.

Several junior ministers have also either already paid the money back or entered into payment agreements, including independent ministers Noel Grealish and Marian Harkin, Fianna Fáil's Charlie McConalogue and Timmy Dooley, and Colm Brophy, Neale Richmond, Frank Feighan, and Alan Dillon and Kieran O'Donnell of Fine Gael.

A spokesman for Fianna Fáil junior minister Thomas Byrne said that there was “no outstanding issue", while a spokesman for Fine Gael's Emer Higgins said she was “not among the 10”. 

Fianna Fáil's Robert Troy also said he is “not one of the 10”.

Another nine ministers said they did not owe money. This included justice minister Jim O'Callaghan and children's minister Norma Foley. 

Junior ministers Jerry Buttimer, Niall Collins, Niamh Smyth, Christopher O'Sullivan, Michael Moynihan, Sean Canney, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, and John Cummins were also unaffected.

Responses were not received from Peter Burke, Patrick O'Donovan, Mary Butler, Kieran O'Donnell, or Kevin 'Boxer' Moran.

Michael Healy-Rae told the Irish Examiner that “tax was a private issue” but that he had a tax clearance certificate, and he does “everything properly and above board”.