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The beaten Government TDs: what their pensions are

Bertie Ahern and his 110-strong Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in 2007.
Bertie Ahern and his 110-strong Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in 2007.
Image: Niall Carson/PA Archive

Updated, March 19

The following is TheJournal.ie‘s comprehensive list of the 35 beaten Fianna Fáil TDs, and the six Green Party TDs, and the amounts that they will receive in respect of their time as deputies and ministers.

The list does not include the outgoing Fianna Fáil TDs who did not run in the election – like, for example, former Taoisigh Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.

Notes:

  • All totals listed are pre-tax; tax is payable on all earnings, with the exception of the part of the first-year payment accounting for the lump sum of a parliamentary pension. This equates to three years’ worth of their annual pension. Most sums are also subject to pension levies.
  • TDs do not receive parliamentary pensions until they turn 50, though they can accept reduced pensions at 45.
  • Ministerial pensions are not paid to retirees under 50 – or until they turn 65, in the case of defeated TDs who first took ministerial office after 2004.

The list:

  • Michael Ahern: €226,486.75 in the first year, €53,291.00 every year thereafter.
  • Barry Andrews: €116,995.95 in the first year, €31,278.13 every year thereafter.
  • Chris Andrews: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Bobby Aylward: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Aine Brady: €46,923.79 in the first year, €15,568.66 every year thereafter.
  • Cyprian Brady: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Johnny Brady: €176,303.48 in the first year, €36,563 every year thereafter.
  • Thomas Byrne: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,416 every year thereafter.
  • Pat Carey: €231,343.58 in the first year, €91,603 every year thereafter.
  • Margaret Conlon: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Sean Connick: €43,919.02 in the first year, €12,563.89 every year thereafter.
  • Mary Coughlan: €303,357.73 in the first year, €130,162 every year thereafter.
  • Ciarán Cuffe: €110,726.31 in the first year, €25,008.49 every year thereafter.
  • John Curran: €113,856.65 in the first year, €28,138.83 every year thereafter.
  • Frank Fahey: €226,486.75 in the first year, €53,291.00 every year thereafter.
  • Michael Fitzpatrick: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Paul Gogarty: €107,703.61 in the first year, €21,985.79 every year thereafter.
  • John Gormley: €203,392.24 in the first year, €63,652.00 every year thereafter.
  • Mary Hanafin: €242,105.15 in the first year, €102,364.91 every year thereafter.
  • Sean Haughey: €211,940.17 in the first year, €57,893.93 every year thereafter.
  • Maire Hoctor: €113,668.29 in the first year, €27,950.47 every year thereafter.
  • Billy Kelleher: €107,703.61 in the first year, €21,985.79 every year thereafter.
  • Peter Kelly: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Brendan Kenneally: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Michael Kennedy: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Conor Lenihan: €50,063.09 in the first year, €18,707.96 every year thereafter.
  • Martin Mansergh: €116,942.13 in the first year, €31,224.31 every year thereafter.
  • Tom McEllistrim: €176,303.48 in the first year, €36,563.24 every year thereafter.
  • John Moloney: €107,703.61 in the first year, €21,985.79 every year thereafter.
  • Michael Mulcahy: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Darragh O’Brien: €107,703.61 in the first year, €21,985.79 every year thereafter.
  • Charlie O’Connor: €301,489.15 in the first year, €128,293.40 every year thereafter.
  • John O’Donoghue: €301,489.15 in the first year, €128,293.40 every year thereafter.
  • Mary O’Rourke: €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Christy O’Sullivan: €116,942.13 in the first year, €31,224.31 every year thereafter.
  • Peter Power: €226,486.75 in the first year, €53,291.00 every year thereafter.
  • Sean Power: €265,278.86 in the first year, €94,782.31 every year thereafter.
  • Dick Roche: €134,792.37 in the first year, €49,074.55 every year thereafter.
  • Eamon Ryan: €221,283.05 in the first year, €57,410.49 every year thereafter.
  • Trevor Sargent : €40,770.75 in the first year, €9,415.62 every year thereafter.
  • Eamon Scanlon: €43,515.40 in the first year, €12,160.27 every year thereafter.

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Comments (21 Comments)

  • The Daily Blaa 01/03/11 #
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    These are the same people who cut benefits to the blind and the carers allowance. What an obscene amount of money going to pay off a collection of failures. I wonder what the collective term for failures is? I guess going by what has happened over the weekend the term should be a ‘party’ of failures.

    Reply
  • The Daily Blaa 01/03/11 #
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    These are the same people who cut benefits to the blind and the carers allowance. What an obscene amount of money going to pay off a collection of failures. I wonder what the collective term for failures is? I guess going by what has happened over the weekend the term should be a ‘party’ of failures.

    Reply
  • Kay Tighe 01/03/11 #
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    I Dont care what anyone thinks or says
    But no one and I mean
    NO ONE
    Is worth that money

    That is a dam disgrace and our country in shite and the amount of money they are getting

    Reply
  • Report this comment

    What an absolute disgrace. This needs to change.

    Reply
  • Jimk Kelly 04/03/11 #
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    What I cannot understand is that no one, but no one , is held to account, or prosecuted.If i owe the banks a few grand i would be in court now on the other hand if I owe the banks Millions .I would be living it up…Owe more and your safe owe less and you will be prosecuted….

    Reply
  • Eddie Fitzgerald 04/03/11 #
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    How many of these failed politicians will be “elected” to the Seanad, to further boost their pay-offs fro the Dail, and how many will be placed on the boards of state and semi-state companies with official titles, with no work to do and they just need to turn uo a couple of times a year to qualify for their generous salaries.
    The worst is yet to come: they can sit on the board of more than one company or state body and draw down salaries from each of them without doing a jot.
    I am aware of one politician alledgely sitting on the board of five of these, a person who has not worked for the last ten years, and “earns!” €300,000 a year from them.

    Reply
  • Eddie Fitzgerald 04/03/11 #
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    How many of these failed politicians will be “elected” to the Seanad, to further boost their pay-offs fro the Dail, and how many will be placed on the boards of state and semi-state companies with official titles, with no work to do and they just need to turn uo a couple of times a year to qualify for their generous salaries.
    The worst is yet to come: they can sit on the board of more than one company or state body and draw down salaries from each of them without doing a jot.
    I am aware of one politician alledgely sitting on the board of five of these, a person who has not worked for the last ten years, and “earns!” €300,000 a year from them.

    Reply
  • Anne Cullinane 11/03/11 #
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    The above figures are rubbish. Journal.ie I am told were in touch with the communications section of Leinster House but they have calculated incorrectly with whatever info they received. Any newly elected TD in 2007 will recieve a lump sum the equivalent of two months pay (taxable). They also get two termination payments fully taxable. A new Act came in last year, which states that they cannot draw a pension until they reach age 65, unless they have prior public service. First time TD’s with no prior public service would be lucky to get 20,000 in 2011 with their termination payments. (I’m not saying they should get anything but the above is incorrect.) To say they are going to get almost 100,000 this year is untrue and the figures above are completely wrong. I’m sure the FOI’s will show the reality in a couple of months.

    Reply
    • Gavan Reilly 11/03/11 #
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      Anne – the impression we were given by the Houses of the Oireachtas was that any TD serving more than three years was entitled to the full ‘regular’ three-year lump sum and the usual severance deal. There were only two TDs in the outgoing Dáil who had served less than that amount – Maureen O’Sullivan and Pearse Doherty – and both are still TDs. I’ll get back in touch again, however, to seek clarification on this.

      We also pointed out that the above figures were subject to each TD being of the appropriate age (50 for TD’s pension, 65 for ministerial), and that all the above figures were before tax.

    • Gavan Reilly 11/03/11 #
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      I’ve checked back on the correspondence I received from the Houses of the Oireachtas on this, and they indicated that anyone serving more than two years was entitled to the usual pensions benefits.

  • Anne Cullinane 11/03/11 #
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    Not what I’m getting. I’m dealing with the termination payments of a TD who was elected in 2007 and I am being told a very different story.

    Reply
  • Anne Cullinane 11/03/11 #
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    See the 3rd bullet point:

    When Termination Payments cease, a pension and lump sum are paid.
    ï‚·
    To qualify for these a former member must have a minimum of 2 or more years’ service in one or both Houses of the Oireachtas.
    ï‚·
    He/she must be 50 years of age to qualify for a full pension and lump sum ― a reduced pension lump sum and pension may be paid at any time between 45 and 49 years of age.
    ï‚·
    Persons first elected after 1 April 2004 cannot receive a pension or pension lump sum until they reach 65 years of age unless they served in a public service body prior to 1 April 2004 and served as a public servant up to the date of their election or to a date within 26 weeks prior to their election.

    Reply
  • Anne Cullinane 11/03/11 #
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    And the pension lump sum amounts to about 27000 not 99,000

    Reply
    • Gavan Reilly 11/03/11 #
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      The first year’s payments also include:
      Three years’ worth of lump sum – so 3x 27,000 or so
      Six months termination wages at 75% of last monthly salary
      Six months termination wages at 50% of last monthly salary
      Two one-off termination payments equivalent to 50% of monthly salary

      Again, we pointed out above and in the companion piece to this that members needed to be of a certain age to claim such payments. A beaten TD of 35 (say) this year will still be entitled to begin claiming in 15 years’ time. At no point did the piece ever say “this is the bill for 2011″ or anything of the sort.

  • Anne Cullinane 11/03/11 #
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    Sorry Gavan, I think you are incorrect but as I said the FOI’s will tell all soon.

    Reply
    • Gavan Reilly 11/03/11 #
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      Thanks for the prompt – will go back to them and check those out.

    • Gavan Reilly 11/03/11 #
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      The Houses just sent me on the PDF that you’re probably looking at – I hadn’t been given the table at the top of p3, meaning that the first-year amounts are obviously significantly inflated for many TDs with shorter terms of service. I’ll have to do some pretty major recalculations.

  • Anne Cullinane 19/03/11 #
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    Hi Gavan, have you recalculated yet? Hoping that you will be correcting the above statement in the very near future. Anne

    Reply

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