BERTIE Ahern and Brian Cowen are expected to have thousands of euro added to their six-figure pensions.
The two former Taoisigh, who earn a hefty €134,000 a year in their existing pensions, will have an extra €2,000 added to each of their incomes every year for the next three years – totalling €12,000.
The jump in their pension incomes is reportedly due to a provision of the Lansdowne Road Agreement on public sector pay.
While the move seems to have caused outrage on social media, it has been defended by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin this week.
“We introduced further pension cuts, on top of the ones introduced by Fianna Fáil, and pay cuts for those over €65,000, in the case of this administration - everybody over €65,000 took a pay cut,” the Minister said, speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics. “But that was anchored into emergency legislation.”
It also emerged that several other former Irish politicians who earn more than €100,000 in their government pensions will get a rise of a maximum of €1,680.
