Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012
1323. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Defence the gross annual salary costs for his private and constituency offices at present; the same figures for this time last year; the same figures for any Ministers of State in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37523/12]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy with regard to the Private Office of the Minister for Defence is as follows:
|
Grade/Position |
No. |
Current Salary Scale |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
1 |
Higher Executive Officer standard scale €43,816 - €55,415 (includes long service increments) |
|
Executive Officer |
1 |
Executive Officer standard scale €29,024 - €45,616 (includes long service increments) |
|
Staff Officer |
1 |
Staff Officer €33,070 - €43,906 (includes long service increments) |
|
Clerical Officer |
1 |
Clerical Officer PPC scale €23,177 - €37,341 (includes long service increments) |
These figures are unchanged since May 2011. The information requested by the Deputy with regard to the Constituency Office of the Minister for Defence is as follows:
|
Grade/Position |
No. |
Current Salary Scale |
|
Personal Assistant(Non-established) |
1 |
Personal Assistant Scale €43,715 - €56,060 (includes long service increments) |
My constituency office is based at the Department of Justice and Law Reform. As Minister for Defence, I did not engage any constituency staff until August 2011, when I engaged a personal assistant as set out above. Prior to my taking office in March 2011, the Private Office for the Minister for Defence had a staffing complement of two special advisers and four civil servants, and the Constituency Office had eight staff. The Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Defence, Mr. Paul Kehoe T.D. has one Higher Executive Officer (Standard Scale) assigned as Private Secretary to his Department of Defence Private Office. The Higher Executive Officer Standard Scale is €43,816 - €55,415 (including long service increments). The Minister of State does not have any staff from the Department of Defence in his constituency office.
These figures are unchanged since May 2011. The Higher Executive Officers assigned to my Private Office and to the Private Office of the Minister of State are also in receipt of a Private Secretary allowance of €19,653 per annum, in accordance with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines. My Private Office is responsible for providing administrative support to me in my capacity as Minister for Defence, including Government business and Cabinet papers, Parliamentary Questions, representations and managing correspondence from throughout the State and elsewhere, co-ordinating my diary and handling queries from members of the general public.
