Political advisers and staff within the Department of the Taoiseach received almost €500,000 in combined redundancy and severance payments after leaving their roles following Leo Varadkar’s resignation last year.
Figures contained in the Department of the Taoiseach’s 2024 Appropriation Account show that a total of €473,647 was paid out in statutory redundancy and severance payments during the year, reports Breaking News.
The accounts show that eight members of staff whose employment ended in 2024 received redundancy payments amounting to €77,232, along with severance payments totalling €396,415.
The department confirmed to The Irish Times that all eight individuals “were in the category of ministerial personal staff”, reports Breaking News.
After taking over as taoiseach, Simon Harris told the Dáil in May 2024 that ministerial personal staff on temporary contracts were entitled to severance or ex gratia payments, including statutory redundancy, when those contracts ended.
He said this entitlement also applied following a change of government, reports Breaking News.
“The severance terms are set out by the Department of Public Expenditure, and are calculated based on salary, aligned to Civil Service pay scales, and years’ service. All such severance/ex gratia payments under these terms are calculated and paid out by the National Shared Services Office and published in the department’s appropriation account. Severance is not payable to staff on secondment from the public service nor to staff who are appointed to another such position across Government within a short space of time,” Mr Harris told Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats in reply to a parliamentary question, reports Breaking News.
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