Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of all pay increases awarded to special advisors in his Department over the last two years. [18311/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in a tabular format a list of all his special advisors pay and that of his Minister of State, to include each salary, name of employee above principal officer standard scale salary rate; and if he will supply the total pay bill for all his special advisors for 2012 [18325/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 190 and 191 together.

The information requested is set out in the following table:

In line with the Instructions on ministerial Appointments for the 31st Dáil, Special Advisers are to be placed on the first point of the Principal Officer (standard) scale: €80,051 - €83,337 - €86,604 - €89,898 - €92,672, except where the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform sanctions a higher salary rate. In this regard, Ms. Langton, Mr. Culhane and Mr. Daly were all appointed on the first point i.e €80,051. Special Advisers placed on a salary point below the maximum of the scale may be paid annual increments until the maximum of that scale is reached. Ms. Langton is currently on the 3rd point while Mr. Culhane and Mr. Daly are both on the 2nd point. Mr. McKeown was appointed on the maximum point of the scale in light of his particular employment/salary circumstances at that time, he has received no salary increase since then.

The total wage bill for special advisers in my Department in 2012, before application of the Pension Related Deduction, is €360,524, inclusive of employer’s PRSI.