At a Government meeting held on the 15th March, 2011, it was decided to reduce the number of staff permitted in Minister's Private Offices from 10 to 8 and Minister of State's Private Offices from 7 to 5. The number of staff permitted in Minister's Constituency Offices was reduced from 6 to 4 and Ministers of State's Constituency Offices from 5 to 3. The staffing of these offices at my Department is in accordance with the new guidelines.
The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table:
Minister — Private and Constituency Offices
May 2011
|
Number of Staff (*FTE)
|
+Gross Annual Salary Cost
|
Private Office
|
8
|
€434,060
|
Constituency Office
|
4
|
€193,881
|
May 2012
|
Number of Staff
|
Gross Annual Salary Cost
|
Private Office
|
8
|
€438,983
|
Constituency Office
|
4
|
€195,097
|
Minister of State Ciarán Cannon, T.D. — Private and Constituency Offices
May 2011
|
Number of Staff
|
Gross Annual Salary Cost
|
Private Office
|
5
|
€213,548
|
Constituency Office
|
*2.8
|
€120,613
|
May 2012
|
Number of Staff
|
Gross Annual Salary Cost
|
Private Office
|
4
|
€177,875
|
Constituency Office
|
3
|
€126,037
|
Private Secretary appointed on 7th June, 2011, to Mr Seán Sherlock, T.D., Minister of State for Research and Innovation in the Department of Education and Skills
Gross Annual Salary Cost
|
May 2012
|
€58,273
|
*Full time equivalent.
+The salaries paid to the civil servants are in accordance with the Department of Finance salary scales for the relevant grades. The salaries paid to the non-civil servant staff are in accordance with the Department of Finance Instructions relating to the Appointment of Ministerial Private Office Staff.