Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Taoiseach stated the system pertaining to programme managers and special advisers dates from the early 1990s. I am sure he will recall that, at that stage, the idea was that there would be a single programme manager for each Department or Minister and a single adviser for each Minister, the idea being that the programme managers would drive the implementation of the programme for Government and the advisers would provide advice on policy areas. However, this seems to have mushroomed considerably during Fianna Fáil's term in office. I wish to put two issues to the Taoiseach, the first is that the numbers seem to have grown substantially, and the second is that the salaries seem to have grown. Today's Irish Independent refers to the salary for the top adviser, the programme manager to the Taoiseach, having doubled in the past ten years. Looking down the list of advisers that was published in the Irish Independent today, in the Taoiseach's Department a programme manager appears to be on a salary pretty close to the Secretary General of a Department. Two special advisers are on salaries the equivalent of deputy Secretary General. Two other advisers appear to be on salaries that are pretty close to that of an assistant Secretary General. The salaries of a further two advisers approximate to the salary of a principal officer. That appears to be an entirely parallel administration. Why is there requirement for such a number of programme managers and special advisers? When the practice began there was only one, but this is as many if not more than the number of deputy secretaries general and assistant secretaries general operating in the Department in the normal way. Surely there is huge duplication of activity between the normal Civil Service and the Fianna Fáil civil service-----

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