Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

All appointments, pay, terms and conditions require the sanction of the Minister for Finance. All appointments from outside the Civil Service require the sanction of the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach. Having seven advisers from outside the Department and some who worked in the Civil Service and were seconded to these advisory positions is not a large number given the responsibilities, the relatively small size of my Department and the co-ordination role of the Taoiseach, which requires being properly advised on a range of matters. The salary of advisers is based on the fact that their term coincides with the length of tenure of the holder of the office. Their remuneration applies to pay levels at various grades of the Civil Service in the main. Given the overall responsibility such as overseeing the expenditure of €55 billion, that there are seven advisers available to the Head of Government is not excessive in the circumstances.

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