Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 16:

In page 25, line 9, to delete "year for the pension, and" and substitute the following:

"year for the pension, that amounts to no more than €60,000, and".

This boils down to a straightforward proposition, that the pension payable to a public servant would be capped at €60,000. The amendments I have tabled propose to alter the legislation at various junctures to reiterate that point.

Some might argue that to introduce such a cap is a crude instrument. It is a blunt instrument, but it is also one that has the merit of equity and transparency. The Minister will be aware of the public disquiet and debate that arose in the not too distant past about the pension pots senior civil servants, former politicians and former Ministers were receiving. Those sums of money would be indefensible at any time but at a time when the State is insolvent and is a programme country, where cuts and austerity policies are damaging citizens and communities, it is utterly farcical for that situation to continue. The Minister, Deputy Howlin, told me his advice is that he cannot tamper with the pension entitlements of a range of senior personnel because the new provisions cannot have retrospective effect. I debated that with him and asked him to publish the legal advice. He failed to do so and, no doubt, my debate with him on that matter will continue.

What we are seeking with these amendments is a capped figure for the future. It is a reasonable figure of €60,000 as a maximum pension pay out for public and civil servants. That is the fair way to lead in a time of economic crisis, and I commend it to the Minister. I will not go through each of the amendments which apply to various provisions in the legislation, but the essential thrust is to clearly state that the pension take of senior public and civil servants can extend thus far and no further. It is also important to put it on the record that vast numbers of people who work very hard in the civil and public service will never have a hope of securing a pension of that order. It would be far beyond what they would be entitled to, so the cap I am suggesting in this provision is unapologetically aimed at those in the upper echelons who have, to this point, received excessive pay-outs and pension pots.

It is something that must be dealt with. The Minister says he cannot I do it retrospectively and I hope the Minister of State will not say that not only can it not be done retrospectively but it cannot be done into the future either. I hope that is not the Government's position.

See this speech in context