Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus gabhaim comhghairdeas leis féin. Tá brón orm ach bhí deacrachtaí anála agam tar éis an cheist a chur.

When Ministers have entire Departments to assist them in their work it seems less than prudent to spend taxpayers' money on costly advice sourced from elsewhere. An Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, is to have a chief of staff, a deputy chief of staff and three special advisers, not to mention an economic adviser. The Fine Gael leader, Deputy Leo Varadkar, is to have an aide-de-camp, despite no longer being the leader of this country, or is he simply did Taoiseach-in-waiting? In addition, he will have five or six advisers. The Green Party leader, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is to have four or five advisers. Given the events of the past week, one of them may be there to wake him up when he falls asleep. This is fast becoming a circus. The Minister said the details will be published online. Can he commit to publishing an updated and ongoing list of special advisers as has been done in the past and can the list include more detail, including whether the advisers are related to the individual receiving the advice?

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