Spend of €1 million on eight advisers to Taoiseach
The Department of Public Expenditure has made public the details of the salaries.
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Taoiseach Micheál Martin currently has eight special advisers including his deputy secretary and assistant secretary.
All eight are being paid over €100,000 annually. The yearly bill for the Taoiseach's eight advisers comes to just over €1 million.
The highest paid is his deputy secretary, who is on over €210,000 per year.
For comparison, the highest paid special adviser in the UK is Cork native Morgan McSweeney. The chief of staff for UK prime minister Keir Starmer is paid €185,000 per year.
Aontú leader
Peadar Tóibín said those at the top of Government are out of touch.
"This is outrageous. Why does the Taoiseach need eight special advisers? These salaries are higher than their British counterparts.
"One year of special advisers' salaries for the Taoiseach is three times the amount of the cost of the bicycle shed and it's ongoing, it's happening every single year.
"I think that cavalier attitude towards taxpayers' money is evident right at the top of the Government, and I think there needs to be change."
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