Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 42: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of advisers in his Department; the number of high level appointees to committees annually since 2007; the amount each receives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26678/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently eight advisors in my Department. Three advisors support myself and the Minister of State, namely a Special Advisor for the Minister, in receipt of a salary of €99,236; a Press Advisor, in receipt of €89,898 in salary and a Special Advisor for the Minister of State, in receipt of a salary of €96,295. I have employed a Press Advisor on a temporary basis whilst the current advisor is on maternity leave.

In addition, my Department employs 5 specialist advisers, two of whom transferred from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the transfer of the non-national roads function to my Department. These advisers are

· A Financial Advisor on temporary secondment from PriceWaterhouseCoopers;

· One Legal Advisory Counsel, on secondment from the Attorney General's office and employed on a pay scale from €71,359 to €90,988;

· A Principal Engineering Advisor employed on a pay scale from €93,197 to €110,665;

· A Senior Engineering Advisor on a pay scale from €82,964 to €103,472, and

· A Sustainability Advisor on a pay scale from €65,185 to €80,678.

The pay scales I have outlined are as determined by the Department of Finance with the exception of the financial advisor, which is determined by PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

I have made two high level appointments to committees since 2007:

§ Ms Julie O'Neill was appointed as Chairperson to the High Level Steering Group on the proposed NRA/RPA Merger in May 2010 at a fee of €9,950 for 16 days work plus a further €622 per diem rate payable for a maximum of 3 further days; and

§ Mr. John Malone was appointed in December 2008 to chair an Implementation Team for an integrated single Transport Accident Investigation Office and is in receipt of an annual fee of €8,978.

In both cases, the payments were sanctioned by the Department of Finance.