Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Advisers

The 6 Ministers whose special advisers breach the €92k salary cap

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin has revealed that six ministerial advisers including his own breach the €92,000 cap he introduced last year.

THE SIX MINISTERIAL advisers whose salary breaches the cap imposed by the government have been revealed in an answer to a parliamentary question.

Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin revealed the six advisers to ministers – three from Fine Gael and three from Labour including himself – in answer to a question put down by Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald last week.

Despite the salary cap being introduced by the Minister last year for special advisers as well as CEOs in semi-state companies who could not earn more than €250,000, Howlin has sanctioned the breaching of it eight times including for the recruitment of chief executives for the ESB and VHI.

The issue of ministerial advisers’ pay breaching the salary cap has been a matter of some debate with Labour Party members reporting  that it had come up on the doorsteps during the recent fiscal treaty referendum campaign.

Last week, Education Minister Ruairí Quinn admitted the breaching the cap was a mistake but said that the government would not be revisiting the decision to do so when it came to remuneration for advisers next year.

Here are the Ministers, the names of their advisers and their pay:

The 6 Ministers whose special advisers breach the €92k salary cap
1 / 6
  • Salary cap breach

  • Salary cap breach

  • Salary cap breach

  • Salary cap breach

  • Salary cap breach

  • Salary cap breach

All pictures: Photocall Ireland

Read: Quinn admits that breaching of salary cap for advisers was a mistake

Your Voice
Readers Comments
53
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.