Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 443: To ask the Minister for Finance in respect of the current year in terms of full-time equivalents the number of persons employed in his, or if applicable his predecessors', constituency office; the annual amount paid in respect of salaries and expenses to each individual; the location or locations of such constituency office; if those offices are on departmental property, to state the office space dedicated to such an office and the estimated value of same; the estimated cost of the provision of utilities, services and other miscellaneous costs to the office; if he will provide the same information for 2008, 2009 and from 14 June to the end of 2007; if he will provide the same information for Ministers of State attached to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32275/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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There are staff based in my constituency office in Castleknock, Dublin 15 and also in my Department on Merrion Street. Since my appointment as Minister for Finance on 7 May 2008 details of staffing are as follows:

This officer terminated in the Constituency Office on 19 July 2009.

These pay rates were increased by 2.5% with effect from 1 September 2008 under Section 27.17 of Towards 2016 agreement.

I should point out that the staffing level in my Constituency Office is well below the Guidelines on the Staffing of Ministerial Offices.

In relation to my predecessor Mr Brian Cowen T.D. staff were based in his Constituency Office in Tullamore and also in the Department in Merrion Street.

These pay rates were increased by 2.5% with effect from 1 March 2008 under Section 27.17 of Towards 2016 agreement.

The financial reporting system currently in use in my Department cannot provide the expenses details requested by the Deputy.

As the some of the constituency staff are accommodated within the Department's office in Merrion Street, it is not possible to estimate the costs requested by the Deputy in relation to expenditure on the provision of utilities, services and other miscellaneous as the costs would have been included in the overall costs of the Department.

A table which sets out the telephone costs for my constituency office, and that of my predecessor which were met from the Vote of my Department will be forwarded shortly.

The costs associated with the accommodation of 2 staff based at my constituency office are met from my own resources supplemented by the Constituency Office Maintenance allowance available to all Deputies. The same applied to my predecessor.

The Office of Public Works

I am advised by the Office of Public Works that in relation to the periods specified in the question Minister Noel Ahern and Minister Martin Mansergh have served as Ministers of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works. Minister Ahern Minister Noel Ahern took up duty with responsibility for OPW on 13 June 2007 up to 13 May 2008. His constituency office was located within the OPW headquarters building at Stephen's Green, Dublin.

Within the period of his tenure five staff were employed as constituency staff for Minister Ahern:

(1) Constituency Personal Assistant

(1) Constituency Personal Secretary

(1) Executive Officer

(2) Clerical Officers

The Constituency Personal Assistant is paid at the equivalent level of the Higher Executive Officer salary scale. The Constituency Personal Secretary is paid at the equivalent level of the Executive Officer salary scale Higher Scale.

The salary ranges for these staff as at 13 May 2008 were as follows:

The expenses costs for Minister Ahern's constituency staff in 2007 amounted to €1,040.08.

The expenses costs for Minister Ahern's constituency staff in 2008 amounted to €8,917.

As the constituency staff were accommodated within the Department's office in Stephen's Green, it is not possible to estimate the costs requested by the Deputy in relation to expenditure on the provision of utilities, services and other miscellaneous as the costs would have been included in the overall costs of the Stephen's Green office.

Minister Mansergh

Minister Martin Mansergh took up duty with responsibility for OPW on 14 May 2008 to date. The Minister's constituency offices are located as follows:

23A Bank Place, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary.

Denis Lacey Hall, The Mall, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

As neither office is on Departmental property the costs requested by the Deputy in relation to expenditure on the provision of utilities, services and other miscellaneous are not provided. However, the costs associated with the accommodation of the Minister's constituency staff were, until recent changes in the system, met by the Constituency Office Maintenance Allowance available to all Deputies supplemented by his own resources.

Within the period of his tenure two staff are employed as constituency staff for Minister Mansergh:

(1) Constituency Personal Assistant

(1) Constituency Personal Secretary

The Minister's Constituency Personal Assistant is based in the OPW headquarters building at Stephen's Green, Dublin. As mentioned previously there are no direct accommodation costs as the costs associated with the accommodation of the staff member are accommodated within the overall space available to the Department.

The Constituency Personal Assistant is paid at the equivalent level of the Higher Executive Officer salary scale. The Constituency Personal Secretary is paid at the equivalent level of the Executive Officer salary scale (Higher Scale).

The current salary ranges for these staff is as follows:

The expenses costs for Minister Mansergh's constituency staff are being collated and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy when available.