Leinster House approved spending of €325,000-per-year for three new special adviser posts for senior officeholders in parliament.
The decision was made to allow the Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, Leas Ceann Comhairle John McGuinness, and Seanad Cathaoirleach Mark Daly each hire a person at an average annual cost of around €108,000 per post.
Special adviser positions for officeholders at Leinster House had been ended over a decade ago following the resignation of John O’Donoghue amid controversy over his travel costs.
However, a proposal was brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in June seeking the establishment of three new posts and other enhanced staffing for the parliamentary speakers.
A note on the proposal said: “The annual cost of the three special adviser posts (based on mid-point of scale and inclusive of Employers PRSI) is approximately €325,000.”
It is understood that two of the positions are in the process of being filled but that Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy has yet to appoint anybody.
Two business cases were submitted by TD John McGuinness and Senator Mark Daly explaining why they needed a special adviser working with them.
You can read them in the documents below.