Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell has called on the government to clarify the issue of allowances for junior ministers and the speculation around the creation of more junior ministries.

Current legislation allows for three ‘super junior’ ministers who receive pay and allowances for the position. However, the government is reported to be planning to appoint four such ‘super junior ministers’.

These are junior ministers (Ministers for State) who are given permission to attend Cabinet meetings, unlike ‘ordinary’ Junior Ministers who cannot.

On top of their TD’s salary, they also get an additional ministerial salary of circa €46,000 and an allowance of €16,000.

Teachta Farrell said:

“We’ve been hearing conflicting reports when it comes to these ‘Super Junior’ roles. Some are indicating that legislative changes will be made with others indicating that this is not a requirement.

“We need to hear what is going to happen, and who will be receiving these allowances.

“A TD’s salary already places a recipient in the top 6% of income earners. When you add on the ministerial salary of circa €46,000 and Super Junior allowance of €16,000, you go higher up the income distribution again.

“We don’t need more wastage of public funds arising from negotiations with parties and individuals who have no significant policy or ideological differences. This is just them looking after themselves.

“Many of the so-called independents entering government were elected on the back of anger at Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil self-interest and maintaining the status quo.

“Now they are going into government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and, already, whatever supposed ‘independence’ they claimed to have had seems to have disappeared.

“The government needs to clarify how many ‘Super Junior Ministers’ will be receiving a special allowance, whether any changes will be made to the rate of the allowance, and whether they are planning to change the current legislation in this respect.

“This seems like an obscene waste of money.”