Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 31 Mar 1998

Vol. 489 No. 3

Written Answers. - Ministerial Staff.

Sean Fleming

Question:

216 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the details of all severance payments, statutory redundancy payments, payments for untaken leave and minimum notice payments made to all ministerial personal staff, programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers arising from the change of Government in 1997. [7932/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

: The following are the payments made to outgoing ministerial personal staff as a result of the change of Government in 1997:

Name	Title	Severance Payments	Statutory Redundancy	Pay in lieu of leave	Payment in lieu of minimum notice
		£	£	£	£
C. Ó Drisceoil	Programme Manager	Nil	Nil	3,305	Nil
C. Ó Briain	Special Adviser	15,508	1,500	1,744	1,745
E. Hayes	Personal Assistant	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
L. Carmody	Personal Secretary	Nil	Nil	480	Nil

Sean Fleming

Question:

217 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the number of days of untaken leave for all ministerial personal staff, programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers arising from the change of Government in 1997; the contractual obligations on these staff for the keeping of leave sheets; if leave sheets were kept in accordance with their contracts; if the staff complied with the usual Civil Service conditions regarding the granting of annual leave and the making of returns of annual leave taken; and, if not, the way in which untaken leave was verified in each case. [7946/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

The number of days untaken leave for ministerial personal staff on the termination of their contracts on 26 June 1997 was as follows:

C. O 'Drisceoil, Programme Manager	26.5 days
C. O 'Briain, Special Adviser	14 days
E. Hayes, Personal Assistant	Nil
L. Carmody, Personal Secretary	10 days

The contracts issued to such staff detailed the number of days' annual leave allowed and stated that the allowance was subject to the usual conditions regarding the granting of annual leave but did not specify the manner in which annual leave sheets should be kept. All staff were, however, issued with annual sheets in accordance with normal Civil Service practice. Payment in respect of untaken annual leave was calculated following examination of the completed annual leave sheets, submitted to my Department's personnel division by the people concerned.

Sean Fleming

Question:

218 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the details of all severance payments, statutory redundancy payments, payments for untaken leave and minimum notice payments made to any ministerial programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers who resigned before the change of Government in 1997; if these payments were provided for in their contracts or were legally claimable; and, if not, the reasons the payments were made. [7960/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

The following ministerial appointees who resigned during the period in question received pay in lieu of leave but did not receive severence pay, statutory redundancy or pay in lieu of minimum notice:

Name	Title	Severence Pay	Statutory Redundancy	Pay in lieu of leave	Pay in lieu of minimum notice
		£	£	£	£
R. Burke	Personal Secretary	Nil	213	Nil	Nil
S. Jordan	Personal Secretary	Nil	Nil	396	Nil

Sean Fleming

Question:

219 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if any ministerial programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers received severance, statutory redundancy, untaken leave or minimum notice payments in 1994 arising from the change of Government; and if they also received similar payments in 1997 arising either from their resignation or from the change of Government. [7974/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

No severance payments, statutory redundancy, or payment in lieu of untaken leave or minimum notice payments were made to the ministerial personal staff on the change of Government in 1994. In accordance with central agreement, in place of such payments an ex gratia payment equivalent to the amount of salary which would have been payable to them had they remained in employment during the period from 16 November 1994 to 15 December 1994 was paid to those who did not return to alternative employment outside the Civil Service during that period.