“Absolute nonsense” is how Research and Innovation Minister, Sean Sherlck described claims this week that the Government is proposing to slash the old age pension by €10 a week.

“As Minister for State I can say that any such proposals have most certainly not come across my desk. I’ve spoken with Minister Joan Burton who confirmed to me that this has not been discussed at cabinet level. It appears to me that these reports have come out of nowhere,” he said.

The reports begain circulating in national newspapers late last week, resulting in an outpouring of anger and condemnation of the Social Affairs Minister and her department and expressions of alarm and anxiety from pensioners and representative groups in the media.

Independent TD, Mattie McGrath meanwhile said of the leak about the proposed cut, which allegedly came from Minister Joan Burton’s office: “This kind of political kite flying is the lowest of the low. Once again we see that this Government is absolutely out of touch with the genuine level of anxiety that is out there in many families who are barely surviving from one week to the next. There seems to be a complete absence of any sense that these kinds of statements are taken extremely seriously by deeply concerned pensioners, who are not concerned with the pathetic game playing that masquerades as coalition Government these days.”

“I have had many social organisations like the St Vincent de Paul in contact with me who are inundated as it is with requests from elderly people who are barely able to keep themselves from spiralling into fuel and other kinds of poverty. This news will offer them no comfort, even if they have assurances that no such cut will take place. They have seen many such assurances like no cuts to Child Benefit, no cuts to Disability being broken on a regular basis by this Government,” he went on.

The Programme for Government gives a commitment that there will be no reduction in the old-age pension.  A spokesman for Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Government also said the matter wasn’t even on the table.