Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
“17 months after I asked her, through an Assembly Question, the DETI minister has finally admitted the scale of the lavish pension arrangements enjoyed by Intertrade Ireland staff. Whereas most civil servants are on a pension scheme with an employer contribution of 18% of salary*, in the case of Intertrade Ireland the employer contribution is a whopping 36%!
“This is a trait with these North/South bodies: Tourism Ireland staff enjoy employer contributions of up to 33.4% and in SEUPB its 31.2%. Employee contributions within these bodies is minimal, based on a mere 1.5% of salary*, again wholly out of kilter with regular civil service provision. Why are these North/South bodies feted with such lavish pension schemes? Where is the promised political accountability and why has their waste not been reined in?
“When added to the fact that several of these North/South bodies have appalling budgetary regulatory records, with notorious late financial reporting, then, the picture which emerges is one of financial anarchy.
“The squander of the sacred cows of North/Southery must be tackled. Stormont, to date, has failed to do so adequately. Instead of sitting on an answer for 17 months the DETI minister should long since have been addressing this issue.”
Q&A:
Subject: Written Answer AQW 20704/11-15 – Effective Employer’s Pension Contribution for Staff
Q: To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment what was the effective employer’s pension contribution for staff, in terms of the percentage of pay contributed by the employer, in each North/South Body within her Department’s ambit, in the last available calendar year.
A: There are 2 North/South Bodies within my Department’s ambit:
InterTradeIreland
The actuarial cost of the scheme to the employer, which has been independently computed as a percentage of pay, is 36%.
Tourism Ireland
The percentage of pay contributed by the employer may range between 17.9% and 33.4%, dependant on the individual circumstances of the employee.
*see http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/questions/writtensearchresults.aspx?&qf=0&qfv=1&ref=AQW%2020039/11-15