Enda Kenny has called on the former justice minister Alan Shatter to waive tens of thousands of euro in severance pay.
It emerged yesterday that the Dublin South TD is entitled to severance pay of over 70-thousand euro - despite government promises to scrap the payments.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach says the former minister was part of a government which decided to scrap the payments - and he shouldn't accept them himself.
Under the previous law on ministerial salaries, any minister who stepped down after two years on the job was entitled to a year's salary as severance pay - paid out over a two-year period.
The government had promised to scrap those payments - and TDs voted to pass that into law last month.
But Alan Shatter is still entitled to severance pay of over €70,000 - on top of his Dáil salary of over €87,000.
That’s because law hadn't been 'commenced' by minister Brendan Howlin at the time Alan Shatter stepped down.
It's not known whether Deputy Shatter plans to accept the money - but last night a spokesman for Enda Kenny made it clear that the Taoiseach expected his former minister to turn it down.
The spokesman said: 'The government position is clear on this matter.'
And he said: 'Everybody should adhere to it - including Alan.'
