Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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378. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the names of the special advisers employed in his Department; the names of special advisers to junior Ministers in his 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; 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; and if any persons currently employed as special advisers have not yet been appointed by order since the Cabinet reshuffle of 2017. [46466/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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A tabular statement follows in relation to the appointment of special advisers at my Department following a cabinet decision made at a meeting held on 19 September 2017. The statement contains details of the appointees, their salary and their date of appointment.

Patrick Cluskey served as a Special Adviser to me when I was a member of the last Government.  Similarly, Roy Dooney served as Special Adviser to Mary Mitchell O'Connor, T.D. when she was a member of the last Government, while Michelle Clancy served as Special Adviser to Mr. John Halligan, T.D. when he was a Minister of State at my Department and she was re-appointed to that position when Mr. Halligan, T.D. was again made a Minister of State at my Department. Sarah O'Neill and Lynda McQuaid are new appointees.

The appointees concerned are unestablished civil servants and they are subject to the terms of the Official Secrets Act 1963 and the Ethics in Public Office Acts with effect from their stated date of appointment.

The following statement gives details of Special Advisers appointed to the Department of Education & Skills following a Government decision dated 19 September 2017: