Gilmore under fire from party over salaries awarded to advisers

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore came under strong pressure from his parliamentary party to reflect on the pay awarded to his and other government advisers.

The Tánaiste’s advisers, some of whom earn up to €168,000, were asked to leave the room during a heated discussion on the issue at last night’s parliamentary party meeting.

An internal survey of the party’s TDs, senators, and MEPs was presented at the meeting. A “substantial majority” said their biggest concern was the high level of pay to ministers’ staff, which they believe is damaging the party’s working class vote.

Mr Gilmore’s advisers are Colm O’Reardon, who is paid €155,000, and Mark Garrett, who is earning €168,000 — close to the €169,000 paid to a senior cabinet minister.

Last month, the Irish Examiner reported that Mr Gilmore’s senior press adviser and deputy government press secretary, Cathy Madden, saw her salary rise by €2,941 to €99,236.

Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin, a Labour TD, came under criticism last year after he approved a breach of the normal pay scale — ranging from €80,000 to €92,000 — for nine government advisers.

When asked about the salaries two weeks ago, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton said she was “open to” cutting the costs of running ministerial offices in the budget.

During last night’s meeting, the parliamentary party discussed issues that were raised on the doorsteps during the recent referendum campaign on the EU fiscal treaty.

Labour backbenchers have also privately expressed annoyance with weekend comments by Ms Burton, when she suggested PRSI contributions should be increased.

TDs said when ministers engage in “kite flying” to protect their department’s budgets, backbenchers are left to take the stick for their comments on the doorsteps.

During Leaders’ Questions Taoiseach Enda Kenny refused to be drawn on whether PRSI would be increased saying he would not be “dragged into” commenting on the budget.

“I’m not going to get sucked into that little attempt by you to have the Taoiseach involve himself in budgetary arguments now,” he said in response to Micheál Martin.

The Taoiseach added that ministers would argue for their departments’ budgets “inside the cabinet table”. He warned ministers against commenting publicly on the budget during yesterday’s cabinet meeting.

Mr Kenny also suggested that a decision on Ireland’s debt burden at last week’s EU summit could have implications on budgets from 2014: “For 2013, this decision will not make an appreciable difference... But clearly the opportunity for impact beneficially for future budgets is very clear.”