Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of all pay increases awarded to special advisors in her Department over the last two years. [18317/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in a tabular format a list of all her special advisors pay and that of her Minister of State, to include each salary, name of employee above principal officer standard scale salary rate; and if she will supply the total pay bill for all her special advisors for 2012 [18331/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is proposed to take Question Nos. 155 and 156 together.

The names and salaries of the Special Advisors I have appointed in the Department of Social Protection are shown in the following table.

Ms. Barrington was appointed in July 2011 on a salary of €80,051 per annum which was subsequently increased on a retrospective basis, to €86,604 (3rd point of the Principal Officer standard scale) on foot of a sanction from The Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform. In July 2012, she progressed to the next point on the pay scale. Ms. Barrington resigned in October 2012 and was replaced in December 2012 by Mr. O’Brien.

As Mr. Brophy was previously employed in the private sector on a salary package that was more than twice the highest point of the Principal Officer (standard) scale, I sought sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for remuneration in excess of the applicable pay scale grade. A single point salary of €127,796 was sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform effective from 29 July 2011. This represents a reduction of over one third in Mr. Brophy’s previous salary in the private sector. The total amount of salary paid in respect of my Special Advisors in 2012 amounted to €205,871. There is no Minister of State assigned to my Department.

By way of information I am attaching tables to show the salaries of the Special Advisors appointed by my predecessors during the period from 2008 to 2011. All salaries are on the appropriate standard payscales. Increases in September 2008 and reductions in January 2010 are as a result of the introduction of revised pay scales for all civil service grades. Any other increases in the tables below relate to the awarding of increments/review of allowance.

Minister Ó Cuiv March 2010 to March 2011

Minister Hanafin May 2008 to March 2010

* Ms. Butler was a civil servant on secondment and received a higher duty allowance to Assistant Principal salary scale in respect of her role as Press Advisor.