Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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408. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an individual breakdown of any allowances or payments that are provided to the Whips' offices of the Fine Gael Party, the Fianna Fáil Party and the Dáil Technical Group; the exact amount of remuneration that each Whip individually receives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13970/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act, 1998, as amended, provides that an Order may be made to provide for payment of allowance to holders of certain specified positions in the Oireachtas.

Statutory Instrument No. 347 of 2011 is the most recent Order providing for such payments and includes provision for payment of an allowance to a member of the Oireachtas holding the position of Party Whip and Assistant Whip in Dáil Éireann, and for similar positions in Seanad Éireann.

The rates of the allowances have since been reduced in accordance with the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013.  A table setting out the positions with entitlement to an allowance and the current applicable rates is below.  There is no statutory provision for the payment of an allowance to the Whip of the Dáil Technical Group.

These allowances are paid in addition to the members salaries in respect of their duties as a TD or Senator, which are set at €87,258 and €65,000 respectively.  There are no other payments made specifically in relation to Whips.