The Oireachtas has paid more than €14.5 million in severance, redundancy and pension lump sums to ex-TDs and senators and their staff since the 2024 elections.
It said €2.98 million, shared among 70 people, was paid in monthly termination payments to politicians who retired or lost their seats, an average of €41,800.
The monthly payments are made to TDs and senators who have at least three years of continuous service and are designed to ease them back into civilian life.
Separately, some €1.14 million was paid out in termination lump sums under the a scheme for those departing the Oireachtas. That sum was shared between 70 ex-TDs and senators, an average payment of €16,000.
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An information note said lump sum payments were made where a person had at least six months of continuous service in the Dáil or Seanad.
“If the above conditions are satisfied, a termination lump sum equivalent to two months of salary, including salary allowances held over the period of continuous service, will be payable.
“This lump sum is subject to the rules of the Revenue Commissioners regarding severance payments.”
A further €3 million was paid in pension lump sums to retiring and departing TDs and senators, according to figures released under Freedom of Information laws. The total was shared between 22 people, an average payment of just over €137,000. All of them also qualified for annual pensions – which ranged in size from €7,796 to €63,467 annually.
Some of the individuals would also be entitled to ministerial pensions, though those payments are made through the Department of Finance rather than the Oireachtas.
Until recent years, the names of former politicians and what they received were published, but that practice has ceased on privacy grounds.
About €7.45 million was also paid to staff members of former TDs and senators after last year’s elections. This included severance payments of €6.189 million shared among 187 people – an average of around €33,000.
Another €1.26 million was paid in statutory redundancy to 116 different ex-staff, an average of just under €11,000. Of that group, nine were re-employed after the elections, meaning they had to repay their severance or redundancy.
The Oireachtas said €192,875 had been repaid in severance by nine people, while one person additionally repaid €14,116 in redundancy.
“A person employed under the scheme must repay the [money] received under the scheme, plus any compound interest accruing, if they propose to take up an offer of employment under the scheme within one year,” it said.
“Where [an exit payment] has been repaid, any future [payment] or pension lump sum will be based on all service in the scheme.”
