THE MINISTER for Public Expenditure and Reform has defended the Government’s breaching of the €92,672 pay cap for special advisers.

Brendan Howlin said the Government recognised there would be occasions when a higher salary was required in order to secure the appointment of an adviser with particular skills and expertise.

“On this basis, the guidelines provide for specific individual exceptions in circumstances that are considered to be unique, special or exceptional,” he added.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald said Taoiseach Enda Kenny had two advisers, Mark Kennelly and Andrew McDowell, who each earned €168, 000.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore also had two advisers, Mark Garrett, who earned €168,000, and Colm O’Reardon, who was paid €155,000. This, she said, contrasted with the pay cap of €92,672 , which was a really good salary and competitive for any level of professionalism.

Yet the advisers in the Departments of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste were on almost double that sum, she added.

Ms McDonald said that ironically, one of the other exceptions was in the Department of Social Protection, which would “pursue to the ends of the earth those who it believes are fiddling the system for comparatively paltry amounts”.

She added that she did not know how the Minister could explain how this was a value-for-money decision.

Mr Howlin said the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste were excluded from the norms of the pay grade. There was a view, he said, that special advisers were fair game.

“I have been privileged to work in three departments,” he added. “Special advisers play a unique role as a sounding board.” Mr Howlin said most of the people recruited by the Government had come at a reduced cost.

“I want to make a case for ensuring the people we use are not significantly worse off,” he added.

Ms McDonald said: “I do not have a hang-up about special advisers, but there is a real problem with those salary levels.”