Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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325. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide full details, including salary, of every appointment he has approved since coming into office of special advisers under his remit; the salary cap that is in place with respect to special adviser appointments; the number of appointments he has approved with salary in excess of the cap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32897/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The two Special Advisors (details set out in tabular format below) appointed by me as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation were assigned in line with the Guidelines for Ministerial Appointments and as sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. No Special Advisers were appointed to work for my Department’s Ministers of State.

Special Advisers to Ministers of Government are remunerated at the Principal Officer scale, and in line with the Guidelines for Ministerial Appointments, sanction for a higher rate of salary for Special Advisers may be granted by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, with the agreement of the Minister for Finance that takes account of the previous experience and relevant expertise of a particular candidate. Given his previous experience and in light of the wide range of issues dealt with by my Department and the key role played by him as my Adviser, my Department wrote to the Department of Finance in April, 2011 requesting the sanction of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to the appointment of Mr Ciaran Conlon as my Special Adviser at a higher rate, in line with the salary paid to Mr Conlon in his previous position and such sanction was granted.

* From 1^stJuly 2013, in accordance with the adjustments to pay under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 and the relevant provisions of the Haddington Road Agreement.