Former Minister of State Róisín Shortall has waived her entitlement to over €33,000 in severance pay due to her after she resigned her post last September.
Ms Shortall had not served the minimum two years required to qualify for a ministerial pension when she quit following a series of rows with Minister for Health James Reilly.
In lieu of this, she was entitled to about €33,100 in staged severance payments over 18 months.
However, the Dublin North-West TD said yesterday she didn’t agree with the payment and wouldn’t be accepting it. “I’m in a well-paid job and I think things like this have to stop,” she said.
Under the rules applying to former ministers, Ms Shortall was entitled to receive 75 per cent of her ministerial salary for six months after she resigned. Thereafter, she was entitled to reduced monthly payments for another year.
Ms Shortall said yesterday “social solidarity” should be a guiding principle for the Government in framing the Budget. A three per cent levy or increase in the Universal Service Charge on incomes over €100,000 would have raised over €200 million, she pointed out.
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