Madam, – Forgive us if we remain deeply cynical about the Government’s approach to dealing with the financial mess which it has created.
No fewer than two Government ministers – Finance and Social Protection – have said that they cannot intervene in the scandal of the €1.5 million “top-up” to the pension of Bank of Ireland chief executive Richie Boucher (Home News, April 19th).
The same Government had no problem intervening in the pension entitlements of serving public servants and threatening the pensions of those already retired by introducing the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009.
That, plus the favoured treatment of the higher civil servants in the application of the pay cuts leads to one conclusion only: it’s not who you are that counts, but who you know. Why cannot similar legislation be introduced in the public interest to deal with comparable situations to that of Mr Boucher and others?
If the Government is ever to restore credibility, it’s time that the penny dropped: equal treatment for all is not just a desirable option; it’s the way things have to be done. – Yours, etc,