Government accused of lacking transparency on adviser salaries

Sinn Fein TD Mairéad Farrell is calling for accountability and transparency around the salaries of special advisers. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Government has been accused of lacking accountability and transparency in refusing to release any details on the amount being spent on politically appointed special advisers.

The salaries of those hired by the current Government will not be released until all of them are officially appointed, but less than half of the appointments have gone though the official Cabinet process to date.

It is expected the bill to the taxpayer will be in excess of €3m a year and could even be as high as €5m, depending on the final salary scales.

While the majority of the 64 media and policy advisers taken on by the current Government have been in place in their roles since shortly after the coalition was formed in June, just 22 have been formally appointed.

Special advisers are directly employed by the minister they work for and come and go with the government of the day. 

Mairéad Farrell, Sinn Féin's public expenditure spokesperson said: 

The Government have to be open and honest about the number of special advisers and the amount that they are being paid.

"This is about accountability and transparency," she said.

Green party leader Eamon Ryan has employed eight special advisers. Picture: Julien Behal Photography

Ms Farrell said she had both questioned Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath and had tried to obtain the information through FOI but the documents she received back had been redacted.

Public money is being used in this particular instance. I don't have any understanding why the minister is not releasing this information."

The pay scale for advisers starts at €87,325 and goes up to €101,114 excluding pension and other entitlements. However, salaries above this have been sanctioned and, in the past, granted when specific cases were made.

Those working for ministers of state are placed on the assistant principal officer scale and earn between €67,659 and €78,816.

Both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar have taken on six advisers to assist them, while Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has employed eight. This does not include the Government press secretary and the two deputies, who are also political appointments.