Top-ups to swell public sector pension bill

Many staff in the voluntary hospital sector have topped up their pensions over the years by buying ‘added years’, or in some cases getting them for free

'Gaps in data' on pensions. Pic: iStock

The €114 billionpublic sector pension bill is set to grow even bigger due to lavish pension top-ups.

Many staff in the voluntary hospital sector have topped up their pensions over the years by buying ‘added years’, or in some cases getting them for free.

But when they move to a different job in the health service, there is no centralised register to track what the overall cost of their pension will be.

The ...