Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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624. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount spent by her Department on special advisers for each of the past four years; the way this compares to the four years 2007 to 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2500/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department was established on 2nd June 2011. The information requested by the Deputy in respect of expenditure on pay, travel and subsistence costs of special advisors from July 2011 to December 2014 is set out in the table.

As previously advised to the House, all special advisors appointed by both my predecessor, Mr. Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., and myself have been paid in accordance with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Guidelines on the Staffing of Ministers' Offices.No requests for exceptional payments above those norms have been made to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

It should also be noted that the salary of one of Minister Deenihan's advisors over the period July 2011 to July 2014 was abated as he was in receipt of a public service pension.