Ministerial Adviser Appointments

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

Ceisteanna (513)

Seán Fleming

Ceist:

513. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number and names of all special advisers, special press advisers, or any other type of ministerial adviser in his Department; the name of the Minister or Minister of State to whom he or she reports; the salary of each adviser now; the salary of each adviser at the time he or she was appointed; if any salary increase was asked for; if it was granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37498/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

The name and salary of each of the Special Advisers appointed by me is as follows:

Name	Title	Salary (per annum)	Increases
Anne Byrne	Special Adviser (D/PER)	€83,337 with effect from March 2011	€86,604 with effect from March 2012
Ronan O’Brien	Special Adviser (D/PER)	€114,000 with effect May 2011	Nil

As I have advised in previous PQs since I appointed Anne Byrne and Ronan O’Brien as special advisors no salary increases have been requested in respect of either appointment.

However, on appointment, Ms Anne Byrne was placed on the second point of the PO Standard non-PPC scale with effect from 10 March 2011. In accordance with the ‘Instructions to Personnel Officers - Ministerial Appointments for the 31st Dail’, dated 24 March 2011 which was issued by the Department of Finance and which states the following in relation to Special Advisers and Increments: -Where a Special Adviser is placed on a salary point below the maximum of the scale he or she may be paid an annual increment until the maximum of that scale is reached - Ms Byrne progressed to the next point of the scale with effect from 10 March 2012.