Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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392. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the annual savings to the exchequer from restricting retired Taoisigh, Tánaiste, Presidents, Ministers and Ceann Comhairle to a single Oireachtas pension in the years 2021 to 2025. [39209/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Former Officeholders, such as those referred to in the PQ, only qualify for a pension if they are no longer a member of the Dáil, Seanad, or European Parliament, and have fulfilled the required criteria to receive such a pension.

Pension entitlements for Officeholders (including retired Taoisigh, Tánaistí, Presidents, Ministers and Cinn Comhairle) and TDs are set out in various pieces of legislation. The key legislation setting out the terms of pension benefits for Officeholders and TDs includes; the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act 1938 (as amended); the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004; and the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. The Houses of Oireachtas (Members) Pension Scheme is set out in numerous Acts and Statutory Instruments.

Entitlements depend on a range of factors including which scheme an individual is a member of. The value attaching to each individual pension will vary on a case by case depending on the specific circumstances applying at retirement e.g. length of service.

The cost of Officeholder pensions paid to the former Taoisigh, Tánaistí, Presidents, Ministers and Cinn Comhairle, for the years 2021 to date, is €17.1m. This figure reflects the Officeholder pension only and does not include any other pensions payable to individuals, including a T.D. pension.