Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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443. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide a schedule of advisers, special advisers and seconded civil servants working in his Department appointed and or recruited and or in an acting capacity; the roles and responsibilities attributed to each; and the salary scale for each role in tabular form. [22532/20]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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447. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of special advisers that will be hired by his Department. [22774/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 447 together.

The recently published guidance issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on Ministerial Appointments allow for 2 Special Advisers to be appointed to each Minister by Government, in accordance with overall staffing limits.

At this stage, no Special Advisers have been formally appointed, either directly or by secondment to my Department by the Government. I have, however, assigned Ciara Shaughnessy to work with me as Special Adviser and it is anticipated that she will be formally appointed by the Government in the coming weeks. Ms. Shaughnessy's responsibilities are primarily in the area of press and media.

The Ministers of State in my Department have not assigned anyone to work with them as Special Advisers.

Any further Special Adviser appointments in my Department will be made in accordance with the guidance set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform must be notified of the rate of salary to be paid in all cases for Special Advisers, which will be published on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.