Ministers spent €12.5m running offices

Government Ministers and Ministers of State have spent almost €12.5 million in the last year running their departmental and constituency offices.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, was the biggest spending Minister. Her private and constituency offices cost €795,533 to run.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has 26 people working at his offices, while Ms Harney employs 12. The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan has 17 staff on his payroll.

After having spent much of his time lately telling his Cabinet colleagues to curtail spending, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, leads by example. His offices cost the least to run of the 15 current Government Ministers at €266,326, less than half that of Ms Harney's.

The Ministers of State at the Department of Health were the by far the biggest spenders of their rank in the 15 Government Departments. They have spent €1,013,275 in the last year, more than twice as much as any other Department's Minister/Ministers of State. However, at three, there are more Ministers of State in the Department of Health than any other Department.

Ms Harney employs six people at her Departmental office - one higher executive officer, two executive officers and three clerical officers. At her constituency office she employs a personal secretary, personal assistant and staff officer. And three clerical officers divide their time between both offices. The salary, overtime and expenses costs between June 2002 and June 2003 were €795,533.

Overtime and expenses were minimal at just over €36,000. None of the staff in offices of Ministers or Ministers for State were paid substantial overtime or expenses. After Ms Harney, The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, was the next biggest spender with his staff costing the Exchequer €623,155 per annum. Next comes the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, who estimates expenditure at her officers will cost €613,000 in the current year. Mr Brennan, was the next biggest spender. Staff costs at his departmental and constituency offices ran to €609,325. Just over €40,000 of that figure was accounted for in overtime and expenses. The rest was paid in salaries to the 17 staff working at Mr Brennan's two offices. Next is the Taoiseach who spent €551,029 despite the fact that he employs 26 staff at his two offices.

A lot of those staff fill junior grades such as clerical officer and usher.

He employs five special advisers and two assistant personal secretary's at his ministerial, or private, office.

Mr McCreevy gets by with a much smaller staff. In a response to a a parliamentary question from Labour TD Mr Eamon Gilmore, Mr McCreevy said he employs 12 staff at his offices, three of whom are clerical officers. He does not have any special advisers.

All of the details regarding the Minister's and Ministers' of State expenditure on staff came from responses to a series of questions by Mr Gilmore.

The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Mr Tim O'Malley spent €335,900 on his 12 staff. His Minister of State colleagues at the same Department, Mr Brian Lenihan and Mr Ivor Callely, spent €324,998 and €352,377 respectively. Both have 10 staff each.

Ministers:

Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney - 795,533

Education and Science, Mr Dempsey - €623,155

Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan - 613,000

Transport, Mr Brennan - 609,325

Taoiseach, Mr Ahern - 551,029

Health and Children, Mr Martin - 519,695

Communication, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Dermot Ahern - 515,297

Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell - 509,651

Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh - 492,935

Environment and Local Government, Mr Cullen - 418,000

Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue - 396,091

Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív - 378,236

Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen - 376,996

Defence, Mr Smith - 354,034

Finance, Mr McCreevy - 266,326

Ministers of State:

Health - 1,013,275

Enterprise - 440,549

Agriculture - 426,360

Education - 320,002

Justice - 301,204

Environment - 518,153

Foreign Affairs - 451,478

Communication - 252,047

Transport - 220,943

Taoiseach - 204,975

Finance - 166,526

Community, Rural and Gaeltacht - 92,242

Defence - 74,029 ...