The appointment of Special Advisers is subject to section 11 of the Public Service Management (PSMA) Act 1997 and the Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil, which incorporate the principles of section 11 of the PSMA Act.
The appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the terms set out in the aforementioned guidelines, although the appointments are also subject to formal Government approval. At this stage, no Special Advisers have been formally appointed to my Department by the Government. However, the Deputy may wish to note that I have assigned two Special Advisers to work with me; a Special Adviser on policy and a Press Adviser. Said persons will be formally appointed by the Government following due process.
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform must be notified of the rate of salary to be paid in all cases for Special Advisers. These rates will then be published on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.