Former Louth TD Ahern receives over €600,000 in pension and lump sum payments in four years

Former Louth TD and Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern

Former Louth TD and Minister Dermot Ahern has received over €600,000 in pension and lump sum payments over a four year period since retiring from politics in 2011.

Only four other politicians – including former Taoisigh Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, Minister for Health Mary Harney and Minister Michael Woods – received more during that time frame.

An RTÉ Investigations Unit report revealed that the Blackrock man received €628,596 between 2011 and 2014.

The bulk of this was in 2011 when he received €281,421. This included a lump sum payment of €165,065, a ministerial pension of €69,243, a TD’s pension of €30,709 and termination lump sums of €16,404.

In 2012 the former Fianna Fáil representative received €119,965, made up of €69,243 from his ministerial pension and €50,722 from his TD’s pension. In 2013 he received €118,848 and last year he received €108,362, made up of €54,758 from his ministerial pension and €53,604 from his TD’s pension.

First elected to the Dáíl in 1987, Ahern had four Ministerial roles in his time in government including in Social, Community and Family Affairs (June 1997 – June 2002), Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (June 2002 – September 2004), Foreign Affairs (September 2004 – May 2008) and Justice and Law Reform (May 2008 – January 2011).

You can view the full figures for all politicians here.

The largest pension pot was paid to the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who according to the figures has received €726,419 in the period between March 2011 and the end of 2014. 

That includes his annual TD pension, which is paid by the Oireachtas, his Ministerial pension, paid by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and also lump sum and termination payments, which were made in 2011.

Following Mr Ahern on the list is another former Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil’s Brian Cowen who has been paid €726,367 according to the figures.

Most of Dundalk will have access to high speed broadband by end of next year

Peter Fitzpatrick TD

Most of Dundalk will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by the end of next year, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Alex White has confirmed.

Responding to a question from Fine Gael TD Peter Fitzpatrick on when the internet connection in the area would be upgraded, Minister White referred to the map drawn up as part of the National Broadband Plan, which outlined areas that will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by the end of 2016.

All of Dundalk and Blackrock are set to have access to high speed broadband by 2016 with parts of Knockbridge, Louth, Tallanstown, Hackballscross, Dromiskin, Castlebellingham, Greenore, Carlingford and Lordship also set to benefit.

It is estimated that 75% of the county’s 60,144 premises will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by the end of next year, with areas not covered set to be included in the Government’s proposed intervention, aimed at giving everyone a broadband speed of at least 30Mbps by 2020.