Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to hear it. I ask the Minister to address the issue of pension-related deductions under the FEMPI legislation. As I understand it, the gross cost of pensions, as a percentage of pensionable remuneration, is about 20%, but the net cost to the Exchequer is only approximately 8.5% because of the superannuation payments made which amount to a figure of approximately 6% and the pension levy which also amounts to about 6%. The fact is lost on those outside the public sector that public servants are paying an enormous amount every week or month to fund their pensions. People give out about gold-plated pensions - admittedly there are some public service pensions which are excessive - but the vast majority are paying substantial amounts towards their pensions. Will the pension-related deduction be up for discussion and what implications would this have for the public sector pension liability down the line?

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