Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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287. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the names of advisers she has appointed to her office since becoming Minister; the responsibilities of each; the previous employment of each; the salaries of each; and if she plans to make further additional appointments. [4862/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The names and annual salaries of my Special Advisers are set out in the following table. These appointments and the remuneration applied were made in accordance with the Instructions for Ministerial Appointments as published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in June 2016.

The duties assigned to Special Advisers are set out in paragraph 2 of Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997 and are as follows:

11(2) A Special Adviser to a Minister or to a Minister of State, as the case may be, shall—

(a) assist the Minister or the Minister of State, as the case may be, by—

(i) providing advice,

(ii) monitoring, facilitating and securing the achievement of Government objectives that relate to the Department, as requested by the Minister or the Minister of State, as the case may be, and

(iii) performing such other functions as may be directed by the Minister or the Minister of State, as the case may be, that are not otherwise provided for in this Act and do not involve the exercise of any specific powers conferred on the Minister or the Minister of State, as the case may be, or any other office holder by or under any other Act, and

(b) be accountable to the Minister or the Minister of State, as the case may be, in the performance of those functions.

Both of my Special Advisers have had significant previous public sector experience which makes them eminently suitable for the posts to which they have been appointed.