Taoiseach adviser's pay exceeds €150,000

Enda Kenny’s chief of staff, Mark Kennelly, and one other special adviser were both paid €156,380 last year.

Three other advisers claimed salaries of €81,676.

The Taoiseach’s office paid a total of €581, 236 in salaries to five special advisers in 2012, according to figures from his department.

In a statement to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for Kenny said special advisers “provide briefings and advice on a wide range of policy and press matters to their line ministers as well as liaising with other special advisers in each Government department”.

They also said that the Government has succeeded in reducing the cost of special advisers hired by government ministers by 20% when compared with the previous Government in 2009.

The spokesperson added that special adviser pay had also recently been reduced by a further 7% following the implementation of the Haddington Road Agreement.

Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen had seven special advisers compared to Kenny’s four, reducing by almost 46%.