Nearly 300 new staff are to be employed by the Houses of the Oireachtas next year, including 166 personal assistants for TDs, it has emerged, writes Mark Hennessy, Political Correspondent.
The changes will mean the budget to run Leinster House next year will increase by more than 25 per cent from €82 million to €106 million.
TDs already have a secretary, postage and telephone allowances, Civil Service mileage, constituency office expenses, unvouched expenses, and Oireachtas committee payments.
Since January 1st, a 10-strong Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has been in charge of Leinster House and a three-year €295 million budget.
Under the plan, 166 new personal assistants/researchers for TDs will be recruited, as well as 30 extra secretaries for senators and extra officials to staff Oireachtas committees.
The Department of Finance has not yet formally signed off on the deal, although it is understood it was keen to avoid revealing the new recruitment until after the Budget.
Under the legislation, the Oireachtas Commission is independent in its duties, except where it needs to set new pay scales for staff. The proposed recruitment will be paid for from its already agreed budget.
The Commission wants the personal assistants/researchers to be paid €40,000 a year - considerably more than that paid to an existing Oireachtas secretary.
The new staff were recommended by consultants Deloitte and Touche, which warned that Leinster House is seriously understaffed compared to other parliaments.
The last minister for finance, Mr McCreevy, guaranteed during the Dáil debate on the legislation setting up the Commission that he would not oppose the new staff.
His successor Mr Brian Cowen has reinforced this guarantee since his appointment, usually reliable sources told The Irish Times last night.
The Department of Finance is understood to be satisfied that the €40,000 pay scale for the new grades will not provoke demands elsewhere.
"It is a new grade. They are not analogous to any other post in the Civil Service," one source close to the negotiations said.
However, it is not yet clear where the new staff will be quartered, since little room is available in Leinster House, although it is likely many TDs will opt to have the staff based in their constituency offices.
The development will be supported in many quarters if the new staff are used for parliamentary work, although the fear is that most will be diverted into constituency duties.
In a statement, the Houses of the Oireachtas said: "The increase in the Budget Estimates is to make provision for proposed improvements in staff support services for the Houses of the Oireachtas and their Members, which are under discussion by the Houses Commission at present.
"No further comment to issue at this time."
In an estimate of its spending next year, the Commission said secretarial costs for TDs would jump from €7.85 million this year to €13.44 million next year
The bill for senators would rise from €1.22 million to €2.17 million.
Meanwhile, the pay costs for other officials employed by the Houses Oireachtas will rise by nearly €3 million, from €14.8 million to €17.8 million , according to a document seen by The Irish Times.
Postage and telecommunication costs are also expected to nearly triple next year, from €1.04 million to €2.9 million, while the Oireachtas contribution to TDs and senators' pension costs will go up by €1 million to €8.2 million.
Office machinery costs and other office supplies will rise sharply next year from €6.5 million to €12.3 million, while incidental expenses will go up from €1.6 million to €3.46 million.