Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

One of the special advisers is a programme manager and another co-ordinates directly with Ministers of State. Each of the special advisers has responsibility for a number of Departments and liaises with them on items of the Cabinet agenda and issues that are working through sub-committees of Cabinet. They also deal with groups that wish to make representations to me and with areas where there are difficulties across Departments in progressing issues. That is the kind of work they are doing. They are linked directly to Departments. They are not involved in political work such as focus groups or in party headquarters.

Mr. McDonagh ceased duty in 2001 and he has not worked as a political adviser to Government since then. He took up a post in the Czech Republic, to which I think Deputy Sargent referred. He possibly keeps in contact with people in party headquarters but has nothing to do with the advisers.

We dropped the old system whereby every Minister had both programme managers and advisers. The co-ordination role of the four advisers involves effectively undertaking what was previously undertaken by special advisers and programme managers when every Minister had them. They liaise with Ministers and Departments to carry out this role across the 15 Departments, work which more than takes up their time and efforts.

The legislative base for advisers is in the Public Service Management Act 1997, section 11(1) of which makes provision for special advisers. It was also covered in the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. They are fully governed by compliance with the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995.

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