149. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide the name, position and annual salary awarded to each of his special advisers; and if he will provide details of any request made for an increase above the special adviser pay cap set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and, if so, the amount of the increase sought. [29604/14]

The Guidelines on Ministerial Appointments issued in March 2011 state that Special Advisers are to be placed on the Principal Officer (standard) scale: €75,674 - €92,550. Appointments will be on the first point of the scale, except where the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform sanctions a higher salary rate.

I have four Special Advisers in my Department. Salary details for each of them are set out in the following table.