Departmental Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2010

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Ceisteanna (1)

Paul Kehoe

Ceist:

1 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Taoiseach the names, titles and duties of each of the advisers, press officers, assistants and secretaries appointed by him; the annual salaries in each case; the pension arrangements in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45853/10]

Freagraí scríofa

The Taoiseach

The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the Table.

Name	Title	Annual Salary	Pension Arrangements
		€
Joe Lennon	Taoiseach’s Programme Manager	188,640	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Gerry Steadman	Taoiseach’s Special Adviser	132,687	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Brian Murphy	Taoiseach’s Special Adviser	132,687	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Deirdre Gillane	Taoiseach’s Special Adviser	95,550	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Peter Clinch	Taoiseach’s Special Adviser	181,243	A pension contribution equivalent to 11% of salary is made towards a pension fund, this is in accordance with Department of Finance guidelines
Padraig Slyne	Special Adviser to Minister of State & Government Chief Whip	96,295	A pension contribution equivalent to 11% of salary is made towards a pension fund, this is in accordance with Department of Finance guidelines
Eoghan O’Neachtain	Government Press Secretary	138,655	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Mark Costigan	Deputy Government Press Secretary	103,136	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
John Downing	Deputy Government Press Secretary	109,382	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Sineád Dooley	Taoiseach’s Personal Assistant with responsibility as Office Manager	66,519	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Peter Lenehan	Taoiseach’s Personal Assistant	50,178	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Annette McManus	Taoiseach’s Personal Assistant	48,297	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Denise Kavanagh	Taoiseach’s Personal Assistant	57,251	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Yvonne Graham	Taoiseach’s Personal Assistant	53,532	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Sarah McLoughlin	Taoiseach’s Personal Assistant	53,532	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Aoife Ní Lochlainn	Personal Assistant to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government	47,730	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Elaine Hogan	Taoiseach’s Personal Secretary	42,446	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Colette Waters	Taoiseach’s Personal Secretary	39,223	Scheme for established Civil Servants
Nicola Stapleton	Personal Assistant to the Government Chief Whip	49,637	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Shauna Curran	Personal Secretary to the Government Chief Whip	22,792	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees
Maura Stynes	Personal Secretary to the Government Chief Whip	23,167	Non-contributory Pension Scheme for Non-established State Employees a

Under the direction of my Programme Manager, Joe Lennon, the primary function of my Special Advisers is to monitor, facilitate and help secure the achievement of Government objectives and to ensure effective coordination in the implementation of the Programme for Government.

The role and duties of Special Advisers are described in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act, 1997. In summary, these are:—

(i) providing advice;

(ii) monitoring, facilitating and securing the achievement of Government objectives that relate to the Department, as requested; and

(iii) performing such other functions as may be directed.

My Programme Manager meets other Ministerial Advisers on a weekly basis. He monitors and reports to me on progress in implementing the Programme for Government. Each of my Advisers liaise with a number of Departments and act as a point of contact in my office for Ministers and their Advisers.

My Advisers attend meetings of Cabinet Committees and cross-departmental teams relevant to their responsibilities. They also liaise, on my behalf, with organisations and interest groups outside of Government.

Special Advisers are also tasked with giving me advice and keeping me informed on a wide range of issues, including business, financial, economic, political, environmental, administrative and media matters and performing such other functions as may be directed by me from time to time. In addition, a number of my advisers have specific responsibilities in relation to speech drafting.

The duties of the Government Press Secretary and the Deputy Government Press Secretaries are to liaise with the media on my behalf. Political correspondents are briefed on a daily basis by the Government Press Secretary and Deputy Government Press Secretaries. Through regular contact with Departmental Press Officers, they ensure that there is a co-ordinated approach to media matters. They also strive to ensure that relevant information and replies to press queries are communicated accurately, speedily and efficiently to the media.

The Personal Assistants and Personal Secretaries appointed by me have a range of duties and mainly provide administrative support and assistance in my Constituency Office and the Government Chief Whip's Constituency Office.