Cabinet to spend €10m on advisers

BRIAN COWEN and his cabinet will spend at least €10 million this year on their teams of special advisers, press officers and personal assistants, figures reveal.

The Taoiseach will spend €1.9 million on back-up staff including €856,480 on six advisers and €663,868 on press officers.

Mr Cowen’s programme manager, Joe Lennon, is the highest paid, earning a salary of €216,516 this year. Mr Lennon previously worked as a press secretary for former taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.