Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, in respect of each Minister of State within her Department, the number of staff broken down by grade employed within their private and constituency office; the number of staff who are permanent civil servants; the number who are political appointees; the annual cost of each office in terms of salary, overtime and expenses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39031/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently four staff working in the private office and four staff in the constituency office of the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, with details as follows. The private office has one private secretary at higher executive officer level one executive officer and two clerical officers. The constituency office has one personal secretary at secretarial assistant level, one staff officer and two clerical officers. There is also one private secretary from my Department at executive officer level working in the office of the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan.

All those staff are permanent civil servants, except for the personal secretary in the constituency office of the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera. The annual cost of those offices in salary, overtime and expenses is as follows. Minister of State, Deputy de Valera's costs are: private office, €163,348.86; constituency office, €109,317.85. Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan's costs are €54,181.

The amount paid in respect of salary, overtime and expenses for those staff is in accordance with the salary scales and travel and subsistence rates approved by the Department of Finance.