Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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274. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the annual saving to the Exchequer if the pay of all ministerial special advisers was capped in her Department at the first point of the principal officer grade. [30913/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the salaries of my Special Advisors is set out in the tabular statement below.

As my special advisor 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 which represented a reduction of over one third in my Special Adviser’s previous salary in the private sector at that time. The salary was reduced in line with the Haddington Road Agreement as shown in the table above.

My Press Adviser was appointed in December 2012. He was placed on a salary of €80,051 per annum, the first point of the Principal Officer (standard) scale when he was appointed. However, his salary was also reduced in accordance with the Haddington Road Agreement. He progressed to the 2nd point on the pay scale in December 2013.

Government limits on salaries and numbers of advisors are not applicable to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.