The Deputy will be aware that staffing of ministerial offices is governed by Department of Finance guidelines. The current staffing levels in my private office are within those guidelines.
The work in my private office is carried out by a total of eight staff consisting of a private secretary, three executive officers and four clerical officers. The overall role of the staff members is to deliver an effective and efficient level of service in support of my duties as Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. In this regard, some of the primary functions performed by the staff are to manage my diary, log and track all correspondence to the office, manage my Dáil, Government and EU responsibilities and generally ensure that the office operates in an effective and efficient manner.