A pool of 13,000 retired civil servants, as well as Ministers, are to have their pension deductions checked for incorrect payments, Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers has confirmed.
He said most of the current Cabinet and Ministers of State are affected.
He said that the majority now owe money to the State while a minority are due money from the State.
Ministers in the previous government were also caught up in the problem.
The range of underpayments made by Ministers ranges from hundreds of euro, to low €30,000s.
The overpayments range from hundreds of euro to the early €20,000s.
He said an external audit is now under way, with the main focus on civil servants working reduced hours who were entitled to an allowance connected to their work-share status.
However, Minister Chambers added that a majority of the 13,000 pool will not have been affected in any way.
Regarding retired civil servants, 30 cases have been identified where the liabilities for this cohort range from a few hundred euros to €280,000.
Minister Chambers said there has been a “real failure” at the National Shared Service Office (NSSO) which deals with HR, payroll and pensions.
He said the NSSO’s reputation has been “seriously undermined” by the “scale and systemic” nature of the identified problems.
Minister Chambers said that he will “comprehensively address” the matter, and ensure that money owed to the State will be “fully recouped” and those who should be refunded will receive that in a prompt manner.
He said he was first alerted to the problem at the end of March, but only received a full report last Wednesday.
Asked how much individual ministers owe or are due, Minister Chambers said he would not be informed of individual cases.
