Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number and names of all special advisers, special press advisers, or any other type of Ministerial adviser in his Department; the name of the Minister / Minister of State to whom he reports; the salary of each advisor now; the salary of each advisor at the time they were appointed; if any salary increase was asked for; if this was granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37492/12]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the political activities of each special adviser, special press advisers, or any other type of Ministerial adviser in his Department; if any of them were members of a political party; if so the parties to which they belonged; if any of them are or have been elected local authority members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37573/12]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of advisors currently employed by his Department; if his Department has employed new advisors; and if so, the costs involved. [37872/12]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the names of special advisors for whom salary increases have been requested; the amount requested; the details of those granted increases and the amount by which they were increased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40020/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1037, 1042, 1122 and 1146 together.

Appointments of Special Advisers to my Department were made in accordance with the Instructions on Ministerial Appointments for the 31st Dáil and sanctioned by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, where appropriate.

Details of numbers of Special Advisers employed, their salary on appointment and any increases in salary are set out in the following table.

* In line with the Instructions on Ministerial Appointments for the 31st Dáil, both Ms. Langton and Mr. Culhane were appointed on the first point of the Principal Officer (Standard Scale). The increase in salary relates to increments awarded to them on the 1st anniversary of their appointment, bringing them both to the second point of the Principal Officer (Standard Scale) Mr. McKeown was appointed on the maximum point of the Principal Officer (Standard Scale) in light of his particular employment/salary circumstances at the time of his appointment.

Under the Public Service Management Act 1997 and in line with the Instructions on Ministerial Appointments for the 31st Dáil, Ministers of State who regularly attend Cabinet may appoint a maximum of two Special Advisers. In this regard Minister of State O’Sullivan, who regularly attends Cabinet, is currently arranging for the appointment of a second Special Adviser.

Section 5.4 of the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour excludes staff holding a temporary unestablished position and whose tenure is coterminous with that of the relevant Minister from the restrictions on engaging in political activity as set out in section 5 of the Code. There is no obligation on me to know if my Special Advisers are members of a political party and there is no obligation on them to tell me. The same principle applies in relation to whether any of them have been elected to local authorities.

Special Advisers appointed to my Department are required to perform any duties that may be assigned to them from time to time as appropriate to the position of Special Adviser as set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. Their functions include the provision of advice and the monitoring, facilitation and provision of assistance in securing Government objectives that relate to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Minister of State O’Dowd has no Special Advisers assigned to his office in my Department.