Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I will put them. There was an interesting scéal yesterday about an appointment of a special adviser by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with a special salary of €130,000. At the time of his appointment, the Minister said the person "has a strong commitment to public service and is anxious to contribute at a national level in our drive towards recovery... he has a personal commitment to the country and is anxious to make a contribution by offering his knowledge and skills." He lasted five months and then left for England.

Sin an fhadhb atá ann. Conas gur féidir le saoránaigh creidmheáil sa daonlathas? How can people believe there is real change coming from the Government? How can people believe in the possibility of a real republic when the Taoiseach breaks his own rules by going against the salary bars set by him?

Will the Taoiseach inform the Dáil the number of occasions on which he intervened to secure the employment of special advisers in his or other Departments on salaries in excess of the salary range guidelines for special advisers?

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