As the Deputy will be aware, on the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil are currently awaiting Government approval.
Appointments to the position of Special Adviser are made in accordance with Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. All appointments to the position of Special Adviser require a Government Order to be made.
Special Advisers to Ministers and Ministers of State who regularly attend Cabinet are to be placed on the Principal Officer (Standard) PPC scale: currently €87,325 - €101,114.
At this stage no appointments to the role of Special Adviser have been formally made by members of the Government, this process will start once the Guidelines have been approved by Government and details will be published on the DPER website. by the Government once the Guidelines have been approved.