John Browne
Ceist:5 Mr. Browne (Carlow/Kilkenny) asked the Taoiseach the grade of each Civil Servant appointed as a special adviser in his Department; and the number of appointments made to fill the vacant grades concerned.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Ministerial Appointments.
Of the two serving special advisers in my Department, neither was appointed directly from the Civil Service. This accords with the practice followed by my predecessors.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): The Taoiseach keeps telling us about open Government but would it not be more open to answer the question I tabled which sought answers about all Departments rather than his own? Is the Taoiseach's programme manager a civil servant?
The question was: To ask the Taoiseach the grade of each civil servant appointed as a special adviser and so on. The Deputy did not ask me about a programme manager. If the Deputy wants to know about the programme manager I can tell him that the programme manager is a civil servant who has been serving in my Department.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): The question I tabled is not what is on the Order Paper. I asked for the overall view. Is the Taoiseach's programme manager working in his Department? Does he regard the work of programme managers as ancillary to their existing work and, if so, have the Labour Party gone overboard in appointing full-time programme managers?
The Deputy is aware he put down a question regarding all Departments and he should also be aware that that information will be supplied by each Department. The question on the Order Paper today states:
To ask the Taoiseach the grade of each civil servant appointed as a special adviser in his Department; and the number of appointments made to fill the vacant grades concerned.
My reply was that of the two serving special advisers in my Department, neither are civil servants. It might interest the Deputy to know that my predecessors had at least twice that number and one had two and a half times that number.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): I asked an important question. Is the Taoiseach's programme manager full-time?
That question has been asked at least three times.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): The question why are there full-time advisers for the Labour Ministers if the Taoiseach's programme manager can do the work on a part-time basis?
I cannot understand the Deputy's question. In February I answered a question about programme managers in relation to my Department; I have answered today in relation to special advisers and each Department will reply to the question in due course.