Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2020
116. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of special advisers across each Department; the salaries of each; if the information will be compared with the Government of 2011, 2016 and 2016 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26721/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs 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 appointment of Special Advisers is subject to Section 11 of the Public Services Management Act 1997.
The Guidelines for the appointment of Ministerial Appointments for the 33rd Dáil were approved by Government last month and have been published by my Department on the gov.ie website.
These Guidelines, which are consistent with those applying to the 32nd Dáil, set out the number of Special Advisors that each Minister or Minister of State may appoint and the associated rates of pay to apply to Special Advisors on appointment.
The appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister, subject to the terms of the aforementioned Guidelines, although the appointments are also subject to formal Government approval in accordance with Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. The process to formally appoint Special Advisors, following recent approval of the Guidelines, is presently underway.
In line with existing practice, my Department will prepare and publish a List of Special Advisers, to include salary information, on the gov.ie website once the formal appointment of all Special Advisors to Ministers and Ministers of State for the 33rd Dáil has concluded.
The attached tables set out details of the Special Advisers appointed to Ministers and Ministers of State for the 31st and 32nd Dáil.
