€16,288 allowance for all ‘super junior’ ministers criticised as ‘extravagance’

A move to ensure all three “super junior” ministers who sit at the Cabinet table get an additional allowance worth more than €16,000 has been criticised as “extravagance” and “extraordinary” when cuts are planned to Covid welfare payments.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin “how on earth do you justify” the €16,288 supplement to a third super junior Minister following reports that Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath had drafted amending legislation. His department later confirmed that the Minister brought the issue to Cabinet on Tuesday night for approval.

But the Taoiseach reiterated his view that “there’s either a rate for the job or there’s not”. He said “that matter will be regularised” signalling the law would be amended.

Last week when asked about the issue, he said he would not play “populist politics” on the matter.

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The three new super juniors who will receive the payment are Fianna Fáil Government Chief Whip Jack Chambers, Fine Gael Minister of State for Climate Change and Transport Hildegarde Naughton and Green Party Minister of State for Agriculture Pippa Hackett.

Under current law two Ministers of State who sit at Cabinet are allowed an extra €16,288 annual allowance along with their ministerial salary of €124,439.

In the last government even though there were three super junior ministers just two – minister of state for defence Paul Kehoe and minister of state for disability Finian McGrath – received the allowance.

Minister of state for higher education Mary Mitchell O’Connor was ineligible because of the law.

During Taoiseach’s questions in the Dáil Ms McDonald said the move is “a fairly extraordinary decision to make at a time when you are also proposing to cut the Covid payments that so many workers and families relying on.

“Is it not something of an extravagance to award this very generous allowance to a third super junior minister at a time when families fear for their own income levels and wonder whether or not they will get back to normal working life in the near future.”

Mr Martin told her he had already said last week, “it’s my view if there’s a position – and in this case a super junior position – there’s either a rate for the job or there’s not.”

He said the issue would be “regularised. We have three super junior ministers, one being the chief whip, and that will be regularised because you’re either a super junior at the Cabinet table or you’re not.”