Number of ministers who owe State thousands of euro due to errors in pension deductions is revealed
Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers confirmed the figure as he revealed the wider issue of pension errors first came to the attention of the office that handles payments eight years ago.
Mr Chambers announced earlier this month that around 13,000 current and former civil servants, and ministers, are to have their pension deductions assessed for possible anomalies.
He said at the time that 'serious systemic operational issues' were identified at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO), which would result in some civil servants – including current ministers – having to pay back thousands of euro.
Yesterday, he told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that one individual raised a query about their pension entitlement as far back as 2017. A determination was made at that time, but it took the NSSO until last July to ask if the approach that was decided following that query in 2017 should apply to a broader group.
He said the gap between the NSSO examining this, and the full scale of the errors coming to light 'is a concern and that is why the audit is taking place'. The terms of reference for an external audit will be agreed next week and its work is expected to be completed in a couple of months.
Mr Chambers said he was told of the full scope of pension errors in April, and it 'expanded in number throughout the month of May'.
He was responding to Labour Party TD Ged Nash, who said there was a 'seven-year gap between the issue first coming to the attention of the NSSO and somebody deciding in the NSSO that this is a bigger issue that warrants further investigation'.
The minister said the issue 'crystallised' after the Revenue Commissioners raised concerns with the NSSO last year. This related to Chargeable Excess Tax – which only applies to pension pots worth more than €2m.
Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty said this was a 'whopper of a pension' and asked: 'Of these individuals who were so overpaid – these individuals would be accounting officers for their departments – did any of them notify the department that they got this bonanza or did all of them stay schtum?'
The minister replied: 'I am not aware of that.'
Mr Chambers said the issues are 'unacceptable' and 'that is why we need a full external audit'.
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