Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1238. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the names of the special advisers employed in her Department; the names of special advisers to Ministers of State in her Department; the annual salary of each adviser; if these persons were special advisers immediately prior to taking up their current role or immediately prior to the June 2017 Cabinet reshuffle; if so, the Minister to which they were appointed to; the date each special adviser was appointed with effect as stated in the Government order; the date of the Government order; if they received a salary for the period before the appointment order was signed in the case of special advisers whose appointment order date has an effect date earlier than the order date; if so, by whom they were paid; if a special adviser during a period later backdated by appointment order had access to confidential material and or Cabinet papers; if they were subject to the Official Secrets Act 1963 during this period; if any persons currently employed as special advisers have not yet been appointed by order since the Cabinet reshuffle of 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46467/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I currently have two Special Advisers working with me. Their details are as follows:

Mr. Mullins was not a Special Adviser prior to appointment to his current role.

Ms. Duffy previously served as a Special Adviser to me when I was Chief Whip in the Department of the Taoiseach. The details of this appointment are as follows:

The Office of the Attorney General has advised that there are no legal reasons why orders should not have retrospective dates.