FINE GAEL MEP Jim Higgins has said he cannot return either his Dáil or his ministerial pension which together amount to almost €60,000 because of a legal order made by the courts.
Mr Higgins is one of three Irish MEPs still holding on to full pension entitlements from their time in the Oireachtas.
Socialist MEP Joe Higgins said he was retaining his pension, which is in the region of €24,000 and was using it for a “solidarity fund” for striking workers.
Fianna Fáil MEP Pat “the Cope” Gallagher, whose ministerial and Dáil pensions total more than €60,000, yesterday said he was still considering his position.
Fianna Fáil MEP Liam Aylward last month announced he would surrender his ministerial pension of €12,261 from his time as junior minister at the Department of Education and the Department of Forestry, but he retains his Oireachtas pension of €52,213.
As a former minister of state at the departments of Defence and Finance, Mr Higgins receives a ministerial pension of €5,952 on top of his Dáil pension of €53,780.
Mr Higgins had not spoken on the issue since the pensions controversy arose, but in Strasbourg yesterday he said that his pensions were the subject of a court order which prevented him from returning them to the exchequer.
“I simply do not have that option by virtue of the fact that all my pensions are the subject of a circuit court order.”
Mr Higgins said he could not discuss the details of the court order or proportions of his pension to which the order relates because it was a legal matter. He said he had given back neither his Dáil nor ministerial pension.
“All of my pensions are the subject of a very detailed circuit court order and it’s not within my remit, or within my power, or within my discretion to actually vary that at any stage.”
He said it might be possible to “untangle” the situation, but that would involve going back to the courts and that the court decision had been “very definite” at the time.
When asked if he would give up the pensions were it not for the courts issue, Mr Higgins said he would be prepared to give it consideration.
He added that he felt the pensions controversy would “blow over in due course”.