I propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 441 together.
I have appointed one Press Officer who advises me on media matter generally. The remainder of the Staff of the Department's Press Office are civil servants and I have no function whatsoever in their appointment or assignment to that office. The details sought by the Deputy are in the table. The principal officer named below includes the press office as one of a number of Departmental functions in his portfolio.
The functions of the Press Office are to communicate with the media about the public affairs of the Department. This office issues speeches and press releases as well as organising press conferences and photo-calls. As far as media monitoring is concerned this involves a press cutting service which is made available electronically to all staff of my Department. The cost of the press cuttings service is €3,850 per month.
Name
|
Rank
|
Salary Scale
|
Jerry O’Connor
|
Press Advisor
|
€82,016–€101,446
|
John P Kelly
|
Principal Officer
|
€82,016–€101,446
|
Roisin McCann
|
Higher Executive Officer
|
€44,314–€56,250
|
Eric Giguere
|
Executive Officer
|
€29,093–€46,167
|
Jason Kiernan
|
Clerical Officer
|
€22.058–€35,773
|
Philomena Guerin
|
Clerical Officer
|
€22.058–€35,773
|