Departmental Staff

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

Questions (158)

Sean Fleming

Question:

164 Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a list of all allowances and the payment rates of those allowances paid to staff in his Department that are subject to income tax and the list of allowances and the payment rates paid to staff that are not subject to income tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31970/12]

View answer

The Taoiseach: Details of the allowances paid to staff in my Department which are subject to income tax are set out in the following table.

Name/Description of Allowance	Payment Rate
Press Officers “on-call” Allowance	5 hours overtime at double-time every week
Private Secretary to the Taoiseach Allowance*	€24,427 per annum
Assistant Private Secretary to the Taoiseach Allowance / Private Secretary to Minister of State Allowance / Private Secretary to Leader of the Seanad Allowance	€19,653 per annum
Shift Allowance	1/6th gross salary
Minister of State Allowance	€17,205 per annum
Half rate Private Secretary to Taoiseach Allowance	€12,214 per annum
Private Secretary to Secretary General Allowance	€10,370 per annum
Half rate Private Secretary to Minister of State Allowance	€9,827 per annum
Personal Assistant to Special Advisers Allowance	€7,125 per annum
Taoiseach’s Diary Secretary Allowance	€7,125 per annum
Half rate Private Secretary to Secretary General Allowance	€5,185 per annum
Paper Keeper Allowance	€3,176 per annum
Franking Allowance	€1,783 per annum
Machine Allowance	€848 per annum
Child Allowance**	€113 per child, per annum

*Current Private Secretary is also in receipt of another allowance so this allowance is abated as per relevant Circulars.

**Only payable to certain staff recruited before 1979.

Other allowances paid to staff in my Department are a clothing allowance of €444 per annum which is payable to a small number of Protocol/Government Press Office staff, an annual footwear allowance of €65 per annum which is payable to Service Officers for outdoor duties and a Tea/Meal Allowance of €4.10 which is paid to Service Officers when they work late on Dáil sitting days.

All allowances being paid by my Department are under review by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform as part of the central initiative being undertaken by that Department.