Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills 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. [37572/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I am not in a position to provide the information sought as it is not open to me to request or compel the appointees to provide this information. However, the Deputy should note that the restrictions which have traditionally been imposed on civil servants engaging in political activity under Paragraph 5.4 of the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour do not apply to Ministerial Staff holding temporary unestablished positions and whose tenure is coterminous with that of the relevant Minister. In accordance with the terms of the Ethics in Public Office Acts copies of the appointees' contracts of employment together with details of the Special Advisers qualifications were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the 28th, October 2011.