Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 733: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the names, titles, dates of appointment, total annual salary including pension contributions of each of the special or political advisers, personal assistants or personal secretaries appointed by her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22552/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy regarding certain staff in my office is as follows: special adviser to the Minister, Ms Aevril Power, was appointed 29 September 2004 and has a salary of €75,036 per annum; personal assistant to the Minister, Mr. Carl Gibney, was appointed 29 September 2004 and has a salary of €47,921 per annum. Both staff members mentioned previously have standard contracts of employment which were drawn up by the Department of Finance.

In addition to the above appointments, I have also assigned a principal officer from within my Department to act as policy co-ordinator. Arrangements are currently being finalised in respect of a further appointment to the post of personal secretary and I will be in touch with the Deputy as soon as this process is completed.

The Deputy should note that the number of political appointments made by me to my staff is two, with a third to be finalised, compared to five appointments made by the Minister for Education from 1992 to 1997. In addition, neither of the Ministers of State in my Department have special advisers, in contrast with the arrangements under the rainbow Government, whereby the Minister of State from 1995 to 1997 had a special adviser.