Thurles Information

A clear look at the figures as €14.5m is doled out in Leinster House post-election payouts.

More than €14.5 million has been paid out in severance-style supports, redundancy and pension lump sums to former TDs and Senators and their staff since last year’s election, according to figures released under FOI and explanatory notes from the Oireachtas.
The payments fall into two broad streams: supports for departing politicians and exit payments for staff employed under the Oireachtas scheme.

Termination payments to former TDs and Senators:
The Oireachtas said €2.98 million was paid in monthly termination payments to politicians who retired or lost their seats. That money was shared among 70 people, working out at an average of about €41,800 per recipient.
These monthly payments are made to TDs and Senators who meet service requirements and are described as a measure intended to help members transition back into ordinary employment after leaving office.
Separately, a total of €1.14 million was paid in termination lump sums under the Oireachtas departure package. Again, this related to 70 former TDs and Senators, averaging around €16,000 each.

An information note accompanying the figures sets out the basic rule: where eligibility conditions are met, a termination lump sum equivalent to two months of salary, including salary allowances held during the period of continuous service, is payable, subject to Revenue rules on severance payments.

Pension lump sums and annual pensions:
In addition to termination supports, FOI figures show a further €3.022 million was paid in pension lump sums to retiring and departing TDs and Senators. This pot was shared among 22 people, an average of just over €137,000 per recipient.
Those individuals also qualified for annual pensions, with reported yearly amounts ranging from €7,796 to €63,467. Some may also be entitled to ministerial pensions, though those payments are handled through the Department of Finance rather than the Oireachtas administration.

One point highlighted in the reporting is transparency:
In previous years, names and individual amounts were published, but that practice has now ceased, with privacy cited as the reason.

Staff severance and redundancy: €7.45m:
A large share of the overall €14.5m relates to staff working for TDs and Senators, whose employment ended after the election.
Documents released under FOI show around €7.45 million was paid to staff members of former TDs and Senators. This included severance payments of €6.189 million paid to 187 people, an average of about €33,000 each.
A further €1.26 million was paid in statutory redundancy to 116 former staff, worth an average of just under €11,000 per recipient.
The records also show that nine people were re-employed after the election, triggering repayment requirements. The Oireachtas said €192,875 was repaid in severance by nine people, and one person additionally repaid €14,116 in redundancy.
The Oireachtas note explains that where someone who received an exit payment takes up employment under the scheme again within one year, they must repay the money received plus any compound interest that has accrued. It also states that where an exit payment has been repaid, any future payment or pension lump sum will be based on the person’s full service under the scheme.

What it means:
Supporters of these arrangements argue elections can bring abrupt job losses and that structured payments provide a buffer for both politicians and staff. Critics tend to focus on the overall cost and optics, particularly at a time when most workers outside politics rely on standard redundancy rules.

Either way, the FOI figures put a firm number on the post-election bill, and ensure the debate around value for money, transparency and reform is likely to continue.