Pensions of 13,000 civil servants being checked for errors after ‘serious issues' found

A pool of 13,000 retired civil servants as well as current and former Government ministers are to have their pension deductions checked amid 'serious issues' at the State office that handles pension payments.
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers revealed errors at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) and said that any money owed to the State will be recouped.
The affected former civil servants are all people who were in work-share arrangements and not all may be affected.
Meanwhile, it is believed that most current Government Ministers will owe money to the State due to errors in their pension deductions, though some may also be due some money back.
READ MORE
The pension deductions of ministers in previous Governments are also impacted by the issue.
People whose pension deductions contained errors are to be contacted while Mr Chambers also announced a number of reviews into the situation.
This is a breaking story and will be updated shortly.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Irish Independent

29 minutes ago

• Irish Independent

House building declined in the first three months of 2025

The volume of production was down by 4.3pc compared with the final quarter of last year. The finding will be regarding as all the more disappointing as activity in the construction sector overall was well up, increasing by 6.5pc from the last quarter of 2024 and up 19pc on an annual basis, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office. The focus of activity in the construction industry seems to have moved towards non-residential building, with the volume index for civil engineering, for example, rising by 16.6pc. Shane O'Sullivan of the CSO said: 'On an annual basis, between Q1 2024 and Q1 of this year, production volume in construction grew by 13.5pc. During the same period, in the non-residential building sector it rose by 13.7pc, and was up by 35.9pc in the civil engineering sector, while production volume in residential building showed an annual decrease, down 10.6pc.' It is the latest disappointing set of figures for the Government, which prompted the Housing Minister, James Browne, to say on Thursday that the official target of building 41,000 new homes this year is 'not realistic'. The Central Bank has downgraded its forecast for delivery to 32,500. This follows the publication of figures for completions in the first quarter by the CSO, showing they were only 2pc up on the same period in 2024, a year that finished with just over 30,000 units being completed. Of even more concern was the 2.5pc decline in the number of homes that got planning permission in Q1, which stood at 8.177 units. The Government has responded by introducing legislation to amend the Rent Pressure Zone system, bringing every current tenancy under an RPZ. It is also expanding the remit of the Land Development Agency, and the Tanaiste, Simon Harris, has said further, unspecified measures are going to be announced between now and the Dail recess in July. Ian Lawlor, managing director of Roundtower Capital, said: 'While the volume of production in building and construction is up, the 4.3pc fall in house building activity is hugely disappointing and a further indication that the government is going to struggle to meet its housing targets this year.' 'While the rental reforms recently announced are certainly welcome, the jury is out as to just how effective they will be in stimulating housing supply,' he added. 'Other obstacles to increased supply that need to be tackled if the Government is to get more private investors on board include prohibitive development levies, VAT burdens, inadequate tax incentives, limited Public Private Partnership options, and insufficient state support for builders.'

Irish Times

an hour ago

• Irish Times

Arts Council stopped three times from spending money on outside partners after botched IT project

The Arts Council was forced to stop spending money with an external partner for a third time in the aftermath of a botched €6.7 million IT project. Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan had previously told it to discontinue spending on legal cases pursuing some of the companies involved in the ill-fated project, and it was forced in March to pull a tender for PR advice in advance of Oireachtas grillings on the matter. Now, internal documents seen by The Irish Times show that it was last month also told to stop spending with an external firm of consultants on governance advice. In an email sent on May 21st this year, the department's secretary general Feargal Ó Coigligh reminded Arts Council chair Maura McGrath that the body had been told not to spend on services outside of its routine operational requirements. READ MORE It arose, he wrote, after Ms McGrath told a senior official in the department that a company had been engaged 'in respect of the appearance by the Arts Council at the Public Accounts Committee'. Mr Ó Coigligh demanded a report on the spending with the firm and why it was being undertaken. In response, Ms McGrath said the work being done by the firm did not contravene the earlier order from Mr O'Donovan, and forwarded an email from the firm concerned. It outlined that it was providing assistance in preparing the Arts Council delegation to 'understand and be in a position to fully discharge their statutory and code of practice related accountability obligations during the forthcoming appearance at PAC and JOC [Joint Oireachtas Committee]'. The email outlined that the firm did not provide PR or public affairs advice but instead focused on assisting clients 'understand and properly discharge their governance functions'. Despite several references in the emails to upcoming Oireachtas committee hearings, a spokeswoman for the Arts Council told The Irish Times that preparation was 'managed internally' and said that 'no company, including the one referred to, was engaging in work relating to committees prep'. She said the firm was engaged to supply advice to the Arts Council board and that 'professional services to the board are a separate matter'. The Arts Council outlined that the advice was coming under a pre-existing contract that was run in January 2024. Responding, Mr Ó Coigligh told the Arts Council chair that even though the firm was not providing public affairs or PR advice, he considered 'the work being carried out ... falls outside the routine operational requirements' and no further liability 'should be matured under this contract'. The Arts Council spokeswoman said it is 'confident in its compliance' with directions from the Minister. No further services have been drawn down under the contract since, she said. Elsewhere, the Arts Council has said that its former chair Maureen Kennelly declared a conflict of interest in 2023 when a publisher that released a book of short stories authored by her husband successfully applied for an €80,000 grant from the State agency. The publisher, Doire Press, was awarded the sum in the same year that it published Night Music by Fergus Cronin. A spokeswoman for the Arts Council said: 'In relation to all staff members, including members of the executive, a robust conflict of interest process is also in place. With 8,600 applications received each year, and the many connections that could arise therefore, this is a very necessary part of Arts Council process. A conflict of interest was declared for the Arts Grant Funding application of Doire Press for 2023 by Maureen Kennelly during the decision-making process.'

Irish Times

an hour ago

• Irish Times

Residential construction slides by over 10% in first quarter of 2025 compared to previous year

Residential construction slumped by 10.6 per cent in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, Central Statistics Office figures on Friday show. Production in the sector was also down 4.3 per cent compared with the previous quarter. It comes as a new report from estate agents JLL says that Dublin faces a second consecutive year of declining apartment completions , with the numbers built this year expected to be 40 per cent down on the 2023 peak. The group's Dublin Living Market Report, which covers the first half of 2025, said it will take several years before apartment output increases. Completions this year will be down by 17.8 per cent on 2024 levels. Outside residential construction, the CSO data showed production volumes in building and construction more generally rose by 13.5 per cent in the first quarter compared with the same period last year. It was up 4.9 per cent on the previous quarter. READ MORE On an annual basis, volumes in the non-residential building and civil engineering sectors rose by 13.7 per cent and 35.9 per cent respectively. That helped boost overall construction production by value by 6.5 per cent on a quarterly basis and by 19 per cent on the same period last year. JLL's report said apartment completions are expected to rebound in 2026 and 2027 on the back of a 'surge' in apartment construction starts last year when developers accelerated projects to capitalise on levy waivers. Although some house building projects with lodged commencement notices did not proceed, JLL said its research suggests a large number of apartment units with lodged notices did start construction. While apartment deliveries are projected to increase over the next two years, JLL noted that the 2024 report of the Housing Commission indicates it will still fall short of meeting demand. It estimates that between 19,600 and 36,400 apartments are needed annually to satisfy housing needs. It said apartment completions will fall below this by an average of 49 per cent in 2026 and 2027. Elsewhere, JLL said Ireland's residential investment market experienced a 'sluggish start' to 2025, with just €10 million deployed across two transactions in the first quarter. However, it noted there are 'signs of modest activity' in the second quarter, fuelled by a significant deal under offer and the expected completion of Ronan Group's Spencer Place disposal to Ardstone Capital. This transaction, involving 393 apartments in Dublin 1, is valued at approximately €177 million. The outlook for living investment in Ireland is 'cautiously optimistic', JLL said, underpinned by 'strong economic fundamentals and an engaged Government attempting to attract institutional investment'. 'The Government's active pursuit of institutional investment in the living sector is a positive step toward boosting the supply of new units, especially as apartment completions are expected to decline in 2025 compared to 2024,' the group said. 'While rent reforms might require further adjustments to generate the desired large-scale investment, the current Coalition has shifted the stance away from previous governments and now recognises the significant role private investors will play in addressing the housing crisis.' The construction industry is lobbying for additional measures beyond rent reforms, such as VAT waivers for high-density developments or development levy waivers to improve project viability. 'A consensus has emerged among construction bodies, the Irish Government, and the European Commission regarding the critical need for productive investment in housing,' JLL added.