Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 31 Mar 1998

Vol. 489 No. 3

Written Answers. - Ministerial Staff.

Sean Fleming

Ceist:

186 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the details of all severance payments, statutory redundancy payments, payments for untaken leave and minimum notice payments made to all ministerial personal staff, programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers arising from the change of Government in 1997. [7930/98]

Sean Fleming

Ceist:

187 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of days of untaken leave for all ministerial personal staff, programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers arising from the change of Government in 1997; the contractual obligations on these staff for the keeping of leave sheets; if leave sheets were kept in accordance with their contracts; if the staff complied with the usual Civil Service conditions regarding the granting of annual leave and the making of returns of annual leave taken; and, if not, the way in which untaken leave was verified in each case. [7944/98]

Sean Fleming

Ceist:

188 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the details of all severance payments, statutory redundancy payments, payments for untaken leave and minimum notice payments made to any ministerial programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers who resigned before the change of Government in 1997; if these payments were provided for in their contracts or were legally claimable; and, if not, the reasons the payments were made. [7958/98]

Sean Fleming

Ceist:

189 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if any ministerial programme managers, special advisers, personal assistants, personal secretaries and civilian drivers received severance, statutory redundancy, untaken leave or minimum notice payments in 1994 arising from the change of Government; and if they also received similar payments in 1997 arising either from their resignation or from the change of Government. [7972/98]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

I propose taking Questions Nos. 186, 187, 188 and 189 together.

The information requested in relation to payments made following the change of Government in 1997 and the number of days untaken leave is set out in the following table:

Name	Title	Severance Payments	Statutory Redundancy	Minimum Notice	Untaken annual leave (days)	Payment for untaken leave
		£	£	£		£
Dr. Tim Collins	Special Adviser to Minister	14,831.00	900.00	1,745.00	18	2,245.00
Ms Anne Byrne	Programme Manager	15,579.00	1,800,00	1,745.00	27	3,368.00
Ms Frances Kelly	Personal Assistant to Minister	Nil	Nil	Nil	26	1,674.40
Ms Marion Doyle	Personal Secretary to Minister	Nil	Nil	Nil	9½	692.27
Mr. Philip Duffy	Special Adviser to Minister of State McManus	Nil	Nil	Nil	17½	1,928.80
Ms Anne Ferris	Personal Assistant to Minister of State McManus	Nil	Nil	Nil	4	251.37
*Ms Cora Pocock	Personal Secretary to Minister of State McManus	1,143.22	336.24	224.16	4	201.74
*Ms Finola Murphy	Personal Secretary to Minister of State McManus	896.27	305.97	203.98	3½	123.02
Mr. James Hogan	Civilian Driver	2,287.00	Nil	262.93	12½	657.32
Mr. Sean Galligan	Civilian Driver	2,787.00	1,051.72	525.86	25	1,314.65

The contracts for such staff provide details of their respective annual leave allowances. The annual leave allowance is subject to the usual conditions which apply to the Civil Service regarding the granting of annual leave at such times as may be determined by the head of the Department. The contracts do not specifically provide for the keeping of annual leave sheets. Payments in respect of untaken annual leave was calculated by reference to the number of such days remaining on the termination of contracts.

In addition to the payments and undertaken leave set out above Dr. Tim Collins, special adviser to the then Minister, Deputy Howlin, was paid £2,517.80 in respect of 21 days untaken annual leave accrued at the time of an earlier resignation in June 1995. Ms Bridget O'Brien, civilian driver to the then Minister of State, Deputy McManus, resigned in May 1996 and received payment of £353.77 in respect of seven days untaken annual leave.

None of those named above received payments at the time of the previous change of Government in 1994.