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.

Second on the list of top earners is economist Peter Clinch on a salary of €199,953 to advise Mr Cowen who recruited him from his previous post in UCD. The head of government Press, Eoghan O’ Neachtáin earns €147,036.

The figures were obtained by Fine Gael spokesman on Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs, Michael Ring, from a number of parliamentary questions to all Government departments.

Mr Cowen’s three personal assistants in Government Buildings are paid a total of €154,214 between them this year while his five personal secretaries in his constituency office in Tullamore cost €209.017.

Four of Mr Cowen’s constituency secretaries earn salaries of between €33,000 and €39,000 while one of them is on an annual wage of €64,565.

Health Minister, Mary Harney’s total cost for advisers, press officers and assistants runs to €918,524 including a press office costing €241,945. Ms Harney’s long-time programme manager, Oliver O’Connor earns €168,992 and her press adviser, Derek Cunningham, is on a salary of €131,399 according to figures provided from her Department.

Environment Minister and Green party leader John Gormley has a team of four special advisers, three press office staff and six constituency staff at a total cost of €796,613.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has a team of five press officers, seven constituency workers and two special advisers with a total bill for the taxpayer of €630,762, of which €248,496 goes on constituency staff.

Mr Ring said cutbacks in government spending should start with these top-paying positions: “At a time of cutbacks, the knife should start at the bloated top where ministers are surrounded by huge retinues of advisers, press officers and constituency workers. Let’s see the Government lead by example and cut some of these jobs instead of taking frontline services away in areas like health and education,” he said.

“These bloated ministerial offices cannot be immune from cutbacks. The Government tried to pretend that health and education services would not be cut, but with every passing day we hear of more and more services under threat. The Government must lead from the front and cut from the top,” he said.