A bill that is being debated in the Dáil dealing with pension levels and how they are determined has caused a clash between Independent Deputy for Tipperary South Séamus Healy and Minister for Public Sector Reform Brendan Howlin.
Deputy Healy in the Dáil yesterday criticised the minister for his proposals, saying that workers would end up paying more into their pensions than they get out of them.
He also said that those at the bottom end of the pay scale in the public servants are being hit as a result of the government wishing to show it is clamping down on the large payments given to those at the higher end of the scale.
He added that the bill could also be open to legal challenge.
However, in response to Deputy Healy’s assertions, Minister Howlin said on a number of occassions that he was talking rubbish, adding that Mr Healy’s claims that private sector schemes will be more generous than public sector ones if the bill is passed, was in his own words: “absolutely untrue”.
