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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 11 Oct 1995

Vol. 456 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost of Employing Government Press Secretaries.

Dermot Ahern

Question:

2 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Taoiseach the total cost of employing Government press secretaries and assistant press secretaries, outlining separate details of salaries, expenses and other ancillary costs; the comparative figures for each of the years since 1990; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13709/95]

I am circulating details of the salary levels of the Government press secretaries and assistant press secretaries who held office since 1990. Expenditure in respect of expenses and other ancillary costs associated with the appointments forms an integral part of overall departmental expenditure. The extraction of the data sought for expenses and other ancillary costs of Government press secretaries and assistant press secretaries over a five year period would result in an inordinate amount of official time and costs in my Department.

Salary Levels of Government Press Secretaries and Assistant Press Secretaries, 1990-1995

Year

Salary

£

Government Press Secretary

P.J. Mara (11/03/87 — 10/04/92)

1990

44,152

1991

48,436

1992 to 10/4/92

13,668

106,256

Sean Duignan (17/02/92 — 15/12/94)

1992

38,807

1993

46,213

1994

44,825

129,845

Shane Kenny (16/12/94-

1994/1995

50,140

Assistant Government Press Secretary

Stephen O'Byrne (01/09/89 — 06/11/92)

1990

41,290

1991

45,065

1992 (to 06/11/92)

39,766

126,121

John Foley (18/01/93-

1993

44,418

(and Head of GIS)

1994

44,779

1995

46,049

135,246

Tony Hefferan (16/12/94-

1994/1995

32,640

Total Cost

580,248

Other Government Press Secretary Personnel

£

Ms. Fionnuala O'Kelly (12/07/89 — 29/06/90)

1990 to 29/6

17,917

Colin Wrafter (05/11/90 — 16/02/92)

1990

4,518

1991

30,285

1992 to 16/2

3,787

38,590

Bart Cronin (17/02/92 — 05/06/93)

1992

33,052

1993 to 5/6

17,947

50,999

The total salary costs actual and estimated for each of the years 1990 to 1995 are as follows:

£

1990

107,877

1991

123,786

1992

129,080

1993

108,578

1994

89,604

1995

128,829

I am disappointed with the Taoiseach's response given that we have had a great deal of discussion over the last day or so on the expenses of other people. It appears that a great deal of trawling in that respect was done but the Taoiseach could not get someone in his Department to trawl for the expenses of Government press secretaries. Does the Taoiseach accept that amounts involved in salaries and other payments is way in excess of what it was last year.

Does the Deputy want me to give details of the expenses of former Government press secretaries? All Government press secretaries have done their job well. This has involved all of them in hospitality and other expenses which go with the job. I do not propose, unless I am pressed by the Deputy, to engage in a detailed trawling exercise in regard to the expenses of previous Government press secretaries. I can assure the House that the present arrangements are ones where any expenses undertaken are very necessary and reasonable but I do not propose to go back on the work of previous press secretaries at this juncture, unless the Deputy insists and I would hope he would not.

It almost seems like a threat when the Taoiseach says he would refer to previous press secretaries. Perhaps the Taoiseach would reflect on his statement. I am sure he could refer to the time when there was only one Government press secretary but now every Minister has a group of handlers both inside and outside such as press secretaries, press companies and PR companies. If the Taoiseach wishes to dwell on that we could add up the figures. Does the Taoiseach believe that the individuals employed — not so much those in the Taoiseach's Department because that is a small part of the cost — by other Departments should be subject, as they used to be, to Department of Finance criteria?

I understand that a number of Ministers in the present and previous Administration have had communications consultants working for them over and above the normal press secretary arrangements. I do not have any communications consultants working on my behalf, despite advice from Deputy O'Rourke on one occasion that I should have and that I needed one.

I do not remember that. The Taoiseach has a great head.

I have a very good recollection of that; I think it was a joke.

I am sure it was.

Certainly, I was amused by it. To answer the point made, it would be more appropriate, if the Deputy wants to ask questions about public relations consultancies, that he address them to the relevant Ministers. I do not have any public relations consultancy operating on my behalf. So far as the press secretaries are concerned, I am giving four pages of figures which, I have no doubt, will be interesting and informative for the Deputies in terms of the comparative costs of press operations in different Departments in different eras of public administration. I would point out that in real terms, this expenditure peaked in 1992.

I am not sure how many people were covered in 1992. There were Department of Finance guidelines on the contract that would be allowed to an individual Minister or Minister of State and is the Taoiseach standing by those old guidelines if they still exist? What exceptions does he allow to go outside those guidelines, as one contract does?

I am not in a position to answer questions about any individual case. The Deputy is straying outside the question. I have not been asked about Department of Finance guidelines or consultancies in other Departments, I have simply been asked about press secretaries and assistant press secretaries in my Department and that is all I am briefed to answer today. In general terms, and without reference to individual cases, of course, I would encourage and would be very anxious that Department of Finance guidelines would be respected in all cases.

In the negotiations to form his Government was it part of the deal that there would be three Government press secretaries, one for each party? Will the Taoiseach accept that the cost of employing a Government press secretary would be much less if we had one party in Government?

I am not so sure. It is quite some time since there was a one-party Government. The figures for total costs are as follows: 1990, £107,000; 1991, £123,000; 1992, £129,000; 1993, £108,000; 1994, £89,000 and 1995, £128,000. The highest figure was in 1992. The Deputy will be able to pose his own questions, perhaps to himself, about why that should be the case. I was not involved in any negotiation of the matter that required agreement on a press secretary representing each of the three parties in the Government. Where there have been two parties in Government, it has been standard practice over many years — indeed, as far back as I can remember — that there would be representation from all of the parties in the Government press secretariat in the Taoiseach's Department. In my experience in this Government it has worked exceptionally well as an arrangement.

Apart from the slip on the night Sonia O'Sullivan won the world title.

That was my fault and my mistake. It was not the fault of the press secretary. I went away from the television when the flag was not being carried. I was in such a hurry to issue the congratulations that I did not watch that part of the proceedings. I cannot blame anyone else for that.

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