Vol. 485 No. 2
66 Mr. Hogan asked the Taoiseach the number of new staff recruited by his Department since taking office; if he will outline the function, remuneration, including expenses, of each new member of staff; and if these staff were appointed in order to address some deficiency that had existed in the Government Information Service. [23009/97]
I refer the Deputy to the following previous parliamentary questions which address the functions and remuneration of non-established staff appointed to my Department since I took office: Question No. 99 of 30 September 1997; Questions Nos. 94 and 100 of 30 September 1997, and Question No. 3 of 1 October 1997.
In addition, the following appointments have been made. Six clerical assistants were taken on to fill sanctioned posts and vacancies in the Department. Each of these officers is earning £10,443.41 per annum and the matter of expenses does not arise.
A civil servant has been seconded to fill the post of Government press secretary. A further seven civil servants, including an usher from the Houses of the Oireachtas, have been seconded to my personal staff. In addition to the manager of the new communications unit in my Department, details of which are contained in my response to Question No. 3 of 1 October 1997, six posts were sanctioned to staff the unit. Five posts have now been filled by staff on secondment from other Departments. The five new staff comprise three executive officers and two clerical assistants. Their salaries are paid by their parent Departments and, apart from a limited amount of overtime, the only additional cost to my Department is the payment of a shift allowance, equivalent to one-sixth of each officer's salary, which arises as these officers operate a flexible rota of three different work shifts. The matter of expenses does not generally arise.
