FG accused of cronyism after sanctioning pay-cap breach

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.

The Taoiseach personally overruled two key ministers responsible for the state’s finances, Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin, to secure a €127,000 salary for former Fine Gael strategist Ciarán Conlon.

Sinn Féin public expenditure spokesperson Mary Lou McDonald said details about Mr Kenny’s efforts to sanction the rise were further evidence of scandalously high public sector pay and pension entitlements.

Details of how Mr Kenny personally authorised a salary of €127,000 for Mr Conlon to take up a role as special adviser to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, emerged over the weekend. The salary level is in breach of the Government’s own maximum limit of €92,000 for staff employed in such a role.

Mr Conlon, a former PR consultant and one-time handler for the Progressive Democrats, also showed his personal irritation at delays in his salary being approved last spring. In one e-mail to a civil servant, he described the failure to sanction the €127,000 as “ridiculous”.

Details of the controversy represent a major embarrassment for the Government coming just hours before the Taoiseach made a state-of-the-nation address on TV against a background of seeking €3.8 billion in budget cutbacks.

Mr Conlon refused to comment on the controversy when contacted.

However, Transport, Tourism and Sport Minister, Leo Varadkar, defended the decision to pay special advisors salaries well above the €92,000 limit.

It is understood that the Government has approved breaking pay limits for a total of 14 key personnel including the Taoiseach’s own advisers, Mark Kennelly and Andrew McDowell, who each earn €168,000; and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore’s adviser, Mark Garrett, who is on the same salary.