President Age Referendum: Fine Gael says younger presidents would not get pension till retirement age, provide no proof.

The referendum on reducing the Age of qualification for candidture for the President from 35 to 21 held on 24th May 2015. Previous post on the Presidential Candidate Age Referendum.

Cost of Pension
Baby presidents would get 125k a year for life Sunday Independent. Jerome Reilly 03/05/2015

New figures supplied to the Sunday Independent by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform confirm that a young Irish president would get 50pc of their presidential salary as a pension from the year they leave office - and for the rest of their lives.

Government already reduced the future president's pay by 23% under , Financial emergency measures in the public interest amendment Act 2011, Minister Brendan Howlin second stage speech.

I tried to find a definitive answer either way and thought that I shouldn't take anything written in the Sunday Independent as true without checking.

I emailed Fine Gael asking about it on May 15

as your party favour the reducing of the presidential candidate age, would it not help to put out a party policy statement to restrict the president pension to retirement age, as you have done with ministers pensions, while also highlighting you've already reduced the pay of president by 23%, as government, to show that you willing to limit the presidents remuneration package if it passes.

The reply from Fine Gael on Jun 5th after the amendment was not passed.

All office holders in office since 2011, whether the President, the Taoiseach, ministers, TDs or senators, have had their pension entitlements changed, so that they now only quality for a pension when they meet two conditions – (a) they have left the presidency or the Oireachtas entirely, and (b) they are over the national retirement age. So no future presidents, Taoisigh, ministers, TDs or anyone else will receive a pension before retirement age.

Jim Duffy,
Research
Fine Gael Headquarters
51 Upper Mount St
Dublin 2

I emailed back,

Can you point me to exact law that says "Presidents would only qualify for a pension when they meet two conditions – (a) they have left the presidency (b) they are over the national retirement age."

No reply.