Micheál Martin Confirms HUGE Pension Untouched By Cuts!

Martin will still be receiving an enormous pension when he leaves office despite cuts across the board.

TAOISEACH Micheál Martin has confirmed that his pension entitlements won’t be affected by the 10pc cut in the overall pay for ministers.

His pension still will be based on the full €207,590 salary on offer as Taoiseach rather than the new reduced rate announced last night.

Mr Martin announced the 10pc across the board pay cut for ministers last night.

However, under the changes He will sill be paid almost €1,500 more than his predecessor Leo Varadkar. Senior ministers will be better off to the tune of almost €600 than their counterparts in the last government.

Ministers in the last government had waived pay restoration increases that had been due to them over the years.

The full salary on offer for the role of Taoiseach is €207,590.

The 10pc cut will see Mr Martin on €186,331.

Mr Varadkar's take home pay as Taoiseach in the last government was €185,350 due to the waiving of the pay increases that had been due.

Mr Martin came under fire in the Dáil for the situation that sees him and senior ministers better off than Cabinet ministers in the last government despite the 10pc pay cut.

Labour leader Alan Kelly said there needs to be clarity about the decision.

He said that Mr Martin said he was gifting back 10pc of the salary.

"That means your pension will be the full amount. Correct me if I'm wrong, it will not be the reduced amount," Mr Kelly added.

Mr Martin said there's a set salary for the role of Taoiseach, Tánaiste and other ministers.

He said ministers in recent years gifted back increases that had been due.

"What we decided - to make it cleaner - yesterday was to say 10pc across the board which in my case will result in gifting close to €25,000 back to the State.

"That is a gift back but it's a de facto cut as well in terms of what one would ordinarily be receiving.

"In terms of the pension you're correct the pension entitlement relates to the rate that the salary is set at," Mr Martin added.

He pointed out that in 2010 he took a "significant cut in pension at the time".

Mr Martin also said he gifted back a severance of around €80,000.

"These things don't get said and I never want to say them. I just did it and got on with it."

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