Enda Kenny
Question:1 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach the duties and responsibilities of the special political advisers as appointed by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19544/03]
Ceisteanna – Questions. - Ministerial Advisers.
Section 11(1) of the Public Service Management Act 1997 makes provision for the appointment of special advisers to my office. As provided for in section 11(3) of the Act, the terms and conditions of these appointments are subject to determination by the Minister for Finance. Such appointments are exempt from the general rules governing civil servants and politics, for example, they can be members of political parties. The appointments are also subject to the Civil Service Regulations Acts 1956 to 1996 and any other Act for the time being in force relating to the Civil Service.
The role of advisers is to keep me informed on a wide range of issues, including business, financial, economic, political, administrative and media matters. Under the direction of the programme manager, their primary function is to ensure effective co-ordination in the implementation of the Government's programme. Each of the advisers liaises with a number of Departments and acts as a point of contact in my office for Ministers and their advisers. They attend meetings of Cabinet committees and cross-departmental teams relevant to their responsibilities. They also liaise, on my behalf, with organisations and interest groups outside of Government.
In addition, a number of my advisers have specific responsibilities in relation to speech drafting. My programme manager meets other ministerial advisers on a weekly basis and reviews the papers for the Government meeting of that week. He monitors and reports to me on the programme for Government.
At a press conference yesterday, the advocacy group One in Four announced it was to cease operation due to a shortage of funding from the Department of Health and Children. During that press conference, it emerged that a telephone call was made to the One in Four group on 12 September, following which the director contacted the Taoiseach's special programme manager who met him on 15 September and confirmed that this telephone call had not come from the Department of the Taoiseach. He suggested that it might have come from the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Education and Science or the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Has there been any follow-up on that? Did the special adviser report the substance of that meeting to the Taoiseach? When special advisers to the Taoiseach meet with groups such as One in Four and others, do they have the Taoiseach's imprimatur or do they merely report back on the substance and content of those meetings and the matters discussed?
While the first question—
Frankly, I would need to check on the first question as I do not want to say there was no contact.
On the second question, meetings are normally arranged when people write in asking to meet me and where I feel it would be important for a representative of my Department to meet them. I would ask advisers to deal with these requests. In most cases, although perhaps not all, they would brief me on the content of those meetings. I would have to check whether someone met that particular group. I can either report back to the Deputy or he can raise this again with me. I just did not check this matter.
It is unusual that the Taoiseach is not as well briefed as he normally is.
The Deputy is well outside the parameters of Question No. 1 in asking about specifics.
I am not. The Taoiseach's special adviser confirmed to The Irish Times that a meeting took place on 15 September concerning this telephone call. The statement from the Taoiseach's adviser was to the effect that this call about the One in Four organisation had not come from the Department of the Taoiseach.
The question relates specifically to the duties and responsibilities of special political advisers. This deals with a specific incident and I suggest the Deputy submits a question on the particular incident.
With respect to the Chair, the Taoiseach has just replied that special advisers report back on what happens at meetings. Did the Taoiseach receive a report from his special adviser on the meeting that took place on 15 Sep tember about a telephone call made to One in Four which his special adviser confirmed did not come from the Department of the Taoiseach, but which he suggested may have come from the Department of Education and Science, Health and Children or Justice, Equality and Law Reform? If that was reported back to the Taoiseach, was there any follow-up or investigation? What is going on here? As the Taoiseach has rightly confirmed, special advisers and programme managers report back to him on the substance and content of meetings. Was the Taoiseach's special adviser authorised to confirm funding to the organisation in question?
My advisers would never have the power to confirm funding unless it was given by the line Departments. That would always be the case. They cannot make decisions without confirmation from line Departments. I would have to check the position in regard to this case. I honestly have no recollection of the One in Four organisation in this regard. However, I know Mr. O'Gorman regularly contacts the Department of the Taoiseach. He keeps in touch. I would, therefore, need to check what happened in this instance.
On the question of responsibilities and duties of political advisers to the Taoiseach, will the Taoiseach confirm whether all or some of the advisers to his Department will be covered under the benchmarking awards? Does he perceive he will get more advice as a result of the award subject to increased productivity or will there be a reduction in the number of advisers to maintain the same level of advice?
Less might be better.
Does minding Páidí Ó Sé come into this category?
I have one position that has not been filled and I do not intend to fill it. That will go down under the heading of productivity.