Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cumulative total of payments to ministerial advisers in excess of the salary cap of €92,672; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11205/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The current Guidelines on Special Advisors provide, except in the Offices of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste where separate arrangements apply, that they are to be placed on the Principal Officer (standard) scale, which currently runs from €80,051 at the minimum to €92,672 at the maximum.

Remuneration in excess of the maximum point of the Principal Officer (standard) scale has been sanctioned by me in a number of instances based on the business case presented. In the majority of cases this has been based on evidence of higher earnings in the previous employment and the need to secure the appointment of an individual with particular skills and expertise. Details of the cases where a higher salary was sanctioned are to be found in the following table.

The combined salary rates of €681,833 for the six advisers concerned amounted to an excess of €125,801 over the cap of €92,672.

Question No. 86 answered with Question No. 65.