Ministerial expenses and salaries
Deputy Mattie McGrath called for a review of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform expenses, especially advisers and press staff, and cited €6.5 million spent over two years. The exchange deteriorated into repeated accusations about Independent allowance payments and personal abuse before the Tánaiste replied only that salary rules were clear.
The public are growing weary of all the waste, the cost overruns and everything else. I call on the Tánaiste to put in place an immediate review of the expenses in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, especially relating to press secretaries and advisers. Information provided to me in responses to parliamentary questions has shown that €6.5 million has been spent in the past two years as a result of Ministers employing special advisers and media advisers - in other words, spin doctors - yet the Government is telling the nurses it cannot pay them. Some €6.5 million is being spent by the Tánaiste's ministerial colleagues sitting beside him on spin doctors, press secretaries and advisers. It is an outrageous sum of money. I want the Tánaiste to carry out a review and instruct the personnel officers in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to issue a policy to the effect that these cannot be appointed willy-nilly whenever they wish, bring in their friends in the press and cosy up to them.
Comment on this
The Minister was only after spin when he was in opposition.
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Give back the €40,000 you get as an Independent.
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Sit down. You had your chance to come over here and you would not take it.
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You were a coward. You were like my dog at home - always scratching.
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I would not go near ye. It is all supply and no confidence.
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I am asking you to give back the €100,000.
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I am asking you on the floor of the Dáil today to give back the €40,000 you get on top of your salary.
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Ask the Independent Alliance to give up their €40,000.
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All I will say is that the Deputy's attempts to make headlines today seem to have backfired.
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Will the Tánaiste answer the question?
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He is not answering any questions.