More than €1 million will be spent this year on the salaries of the Taoiseach’s eight political and media advisers, according to new figures released by the Department of Public Expenditure.
The details, made public this week, show that all eight special advisers to the Taoiseach are earning over €100,000 annually. The total wage bill for the group amounts to just over €1 million.
The highest-paid member of the advisory team is the Deputy Secretary, who is on a salary of more than €210,000 per year. The team also includes an Assistant Secretary and a number of political and communications advisers.
For context, the highest-paid special adviser in the UK is Cork native Morgan McSweeney, Chief of Staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who earns €185,000 annually.
The salaries have drawn attention amid ongoing public sector spending discussions and debates around government staffing costs.
