In the 2011 general election, Fine Gael’s famous ‘five-point plan’ was the bedrock of the campaign that saw the party take power with the Labour Party after 14 years in opposition.

HAVE you heard about the ‘Chinese walls’ in hospitals? These walls separate tranches of money gathered for the functioning and upkeep of the hospitals, it was revealed last week.

The Government mishandled the issue of special advisers’ pay, Ruairi Quinn has admitted.

At least 13 of the Taoiseach’s staff, including the Government press secretary and his deputy, have been given pay rises amounting to over €31,000.

The cancer patient and campaigner who wrote to Enda Kenny criticising pay hikes for special advisers at a time of cutbacks in the health service has died.

A sick father whose wife is recovering from cancer and whose two children are autistic has expressed outrage at a pay rise for a special adviser, which he wrote to Enda Kenny about but got no reply.

It is much too simplistic to suggest the oesophageal cancer treatment of a father of three was cancelled just because the Taoiseach authorised a salary increase of €35,000 for his adviser Ciaran Conlon?

Yves Chavanne, 61, who is battling cancer, wrote to Enda Kenny arguing against the €127,000 salary sanctioned for Ciaran Conlon.

The terminally ill man who wrote to Taoiseach Enda Kenny over a pay rise for an adviser describes how crucial follow-up treatment for his cancer never went ahead.

JOBS Minister Richard Bruton has denied any tension between the Coalition partners over the breach of a pay cap for his adviser, Ciaran Conlon.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton has rejected suggestions that there were tensions between the government partners over the six-figure salary awarded to his special advisor.

A STRONG voter backlash against a “botched” budget has seen the combined support for Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil pull level with the Coalition.

THE coalition parties were accused of looking after their own “party hacks” by appointing supporters to highly paid Government positions.

THE Taoiseach has confirmed he sent an email sanctioning a €35,000 pay rise for a Government adviser, claiming it was his “duty” to do so.

YOU’RE not responsible for the crisis — but you’re sure as hell going to pay for it, is probably the most succinct way to summarise the Taoiseach’s hotly anticipated state of the nation address.

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has defended cuts to disability welfare payments while at the same time authorising a €35,000 pay hike for his former communications director.

Opposition parties say that revelations of a €35,000 pay rise for a government advisor show the Taoiseach Enda Kenny has "one rule for the Government and another for the people of Ireland".

A junior Minister has said she can understand the public's concern at the claims surrounding the pay of an advisor in Richard Bruton's office.

FINE GAEL has been accused of Fianna Fáil-style political cronyism after details emerged of how Taoiseach Enda Kenny sanctioned a €35,000 pay rise for a key party handler in breach of the Government’s own self-imposed limits on salaries for special advisers.

A SERIES of embarrassing expenditure revelations over the weekend has undermined the credibility of the Government as it prepares to deliver its budget.

Enda Kenny has breached the Government's self-imposed salary cap by granting a €35,000 pay increase to one of his former advisors.

FINE GAEL is reshuffling its communications team in an apparent attempt to appease Enda Kenny’s critics and boost his struggling leadership of the party.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has picked up two awards in the Magill Politician of the Year awards.

The Crimestoppers service said 50% of phone calls and 60% of arrests so far this year have drug-related.