Updated 16.50

The Taoiseach has called on the former justice minister to waive a €70,000 severance payment.

However, Alan Shatter's office says it still cannot say whether the former justice minister will accept the package.

This morning, his Housing Minister Jan O'Sullivan added her voice to calls for Alan Shatter to reject the perk, and her fellow Minister Leo Varakar said it would be unusual if he accepted it.

It has emerged that the former Justice Minister is still entitled to the money, because the Public Expenditure Minister hadn't commenced the law removing the payment by the time of his resignation last month.

It isn't known if Alan Shatter plans to accept the entitlement, but a spokesperson for the Taoiseach last night said he expected his former Minister to reject it. Earlier, Enda Kenny repeated those calls on MidWest Radio.The Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams says the fact it hadn’t been signed into law shows the incompetence of the government:Housing Minister Jan O'Sullivan told Newstalk's Breakfast she is hopeful Deputy Shatter will waive the lump sum:While Minister for Sport and Tourism Leo Varadkar told Breakfast he would like to see Alan Shatter rejected the payment. 

However, he said the former Minister had left his position under difficult circumstances and he was reluctant to kick him while he was down, insisting it is Deputy Shatter's decision to make:

Background

Under the previous law on ministerial salaries, any minister who stepped down after two years on the job was entitled to a year's salary as severance pay, paid out over two years.

The government has promised to scrap the payments, with TDs voting to pass that measure into law last month.

But Alan Shatter is still entitled to severance pay of over €70,000, on top of his Dáil salary of over €87,000 because the law hadn't been 'commenced' by the Minister for Public Expenditure when he stepped down.

Mr. Shatter was part of the government that scrapped the payments. Enda Kenny's spokesperson last night said everyone who was party to that arrangment should adhere to it.