NORTHERN IRELAND
Thousands of former Northern Ireland PS staff who left the Service under a voluntary redundancy scheme between 2015 and 2016 have been told they were overpaid.
The Department of Finance (DoF) has sent out letters to the affected workers telling them how much they will have to repay.
Those who cashed in their pensions upon leaving could have their monthly payments cut.
In all, there were 3,701 redundancy awards, which cost nearly £109 million (A$200 million).
A spokesperson for the DoF denied overpayments occurred as a result of any error, but one letter seen by the media clearly stated that “the old computer system miscalculated” an award.
The spokesperson said that as the data for the period up to each tranche’s leaving date were not available on the new computer system, the Civil Service Pensions unit used the data held as at 31 March 2015 and projected forward using the same salary and working pattern to process the members’ awards.
“This is part of normal practice to ensure that the most up-to-date data is held for each individual,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the discrepancies came to light once the new computer system was implemented.
The Department defended its decision to issue letters asking individuals to repay money, which in some cases exceeded £1,000 (A$1,800), saying it was obliged to seek recovery in accordance with the manual for Managing Public Money.
However, a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Jim Allister expressed serious doubts as to whether the letters were legally enforceable, accusing Government officials of trying to punish former employees for their own mistake.
“That is unconscionable as far as I am concerned and makes you wonder if this Civil Service can get any worse,” Mr Allister said.
Belfast, 24 March 2018
