Varadkar defends advisor's pay hike that breaches salary cap

The Transport Minister has said a €35,000 pay increase to Richard Bruton's new advisor is justified and is not in breach of the Government's public sector pay caps.

Leo Varadkar's comments come after correspondence obtained by the Mail on Sunday revealed the Taoiseach wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last March, asking that the salary of Ciaran Conlon be raised to €127,000.