TDs and solicitors brought to book

WHEN you think about protected species in Ireland, the Natterjack toad and Kerry slug might come to mind, as they are endangered. But how about politicians and solicitors?

The generous pensions that Government ministers receive has been declared a state secret, with the Department of Finance citing new GDPR rules for refusing to disclose them. But diligent sleuthing by the Irish Examiner’s Political Editor, Daniel McConnell, reveals that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, and Communications Minister Richard Bruton are sitting on a shared pension pot of €5m.