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County Managers retirement packages to be cut

COUNTY MANAGERS stand to lose up to €75,000 in severance payments when they retire, under changes likely to be confirmed later this week.

Also facing abolition this week are packages which gave the county managers up to ten added pensions years, worth €100,000 at the top end of the scale.

The Minister for the Environment, Mr Hogan, is expected to sign the changes into law shortly.

The cuts have been drawn up by Mr Hogan in tandem with the Minister for Public Expenditure, Mr Howlin.


Mirror Cuts


Under existing rules, county managers are entitled to a Year One package made up of (a) lump sum of 1.5 times salary on retirement (b) a special severance payment worth half the salary and (c) an annual pension payment also worth half the final salary.

The cuts expected this week to managers' pension packages will mirror cuts applied late in 2011 to the pensions deals of senior civil servants.