Tiago Petinga / Lusa
Former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Costa Neves
With his appointment to the Government, Carlos Costa Neves loses the right to the lifetime monthly subsidy of 3400 euros to which he is entitled for having previously held political positions.
Carlos Costa Neves, former minister and former secretary of State, will see his monthly grant of 3400 euros which he receives from Caixa Geral de Aposentações (CGA) as soon as he officially assumes the role of Secretary General of the Government, on January 15th. The suspension of this transfer occurs due to the rules associated with the exercise of paid public positions.
In addition to the lifetime grant – to which politicians who held public office for at least 12 years until 2005 are entitled –, Costa Neves currently receives two lower-value pensions.
However, it has not yet been defined whether these will accumulate with the salary of around 6000 gross euros associated with the new position. According to him, the decision will be taken after signing the appointment order, says the .
Carlos Costa Neves has also reached the retirement age limit mandatory in the Public Service, which is set at 70 years. However, his appointment is possible due to an exception provided for in the General Labor Law in Public Functions, which allows such cases in situations of “exceptional public interest, duly substantiated”.
The position of Secretary General of the Government, created within the scope of the Public Administration reform, aims to centralize and optimize resources, replacing nine extinct entities and predicting savings of 4.1 million euros per year for the State. The new structure will also have four deputy secretaries-general already appointed and two others to be appointed later.
The Secretary General’s salary will be calculated based on level 80 of the Single Remuneration Table, plus 25% for representation expenses, totaling around 6000 euros gross.
This salary definition follows the decree-law that regulates the organizational structure of the general secretariat, after controversy surrounding Hélder Rosalino’s proposal for the position, which would earn 15 thousand euros. Rosalino had initially been appointed by the Government, but retired after the Bank of Portugal refused to finance the cost of his remuneration.
