Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will the Taoiseach comment on the salary increases for special advisers which are in direct breach of Cabinet guidelines? An adviser to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government was paid €85,750 to advise him on everything relating to housing and Irish Water, which is €5,000 above the recommended level. The Minister for Finance who wants to impose austerity on the people of Greece sought to have an adviser paid €3,000 more than the Cabinet guidelines. This was initially rejected because, in the words of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, there was "no compelling reason to sanction the increase," yet five days later, he granted the increase. What was the compelling reason for this? The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources had an adviser put on a salary of €91,624, €12,000 higher than the salary originally offered. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine secured a €25,000 salary increase last July for an adviser. I would like an explanation for these increases. However, this exposes that there is no austerity for the Government. The Taoiseach has created a culture of privilege and a golden circle that rivals the old Fianna Fáil one. Meanwhile the Government has imposed pay cuts on front-line staff, destroyed public services and social protections and cut benefits for the most vulnerable. For example, a special category of lone parents who are also carers will lose €86 per week if the Government goes ahead with its cuts to the one-parent family payment which will push all lone parent families further into poverty. Does the Taoiseach accept that the continued breach of pay guidelines by Ministers for advisers is also in breach of his election promises and much vaunted commitment to the reform of the political system?

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