Sinn Féin spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform Mairéad Farrell TD has said that the government is living in a dream world when it comes to pay and perks; following a report in the Sunday Independent today that the leader of the Green Party is to appoint eight special advisers.

She said:

“Just this week, one of the first acts of the new Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Green Party coalition was to award a third ‘super’ junior Minister a pay increase of €16,000 on top of their already lucrative €124,000 salary.

“The Taoiseach has appointed a record equalling number of Ministers of State and the Tánaiste is retaining a number of his perks – including an aide-de-camp. Now, the government looks set to appoint a record number of special advisers; all at a considerable cost to the taxpayer.

“This all comes at a time when we are forecast to have a budget deficit of €30 billion this year and as we face massive economic challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. That reality has clearly not set in.

“The report in the Sunday Independent today that the leader of the Green Party is to appoint eight special advisers is further evidence that the government is living in a dream world when it comes to pay and perks. This lavish waste of taxpayers money has to be reined in.”