Taoiseach says Opposition reaction to strategic communications unit ‘paranoia’

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described "the level of paranoia about the strategic communications unit" as extraordinary.

He also told the Dáil that he had three fewer staff than his predecessor, Enda Kenny, and he said “the total cost of their salaries is considerably lower than the cost of salaries under former taoisigh [Brian] Cowen and [Bertie] Ahern”.

Mr Varadkar stressed to the Opposition, “I spend less and have fewer staff. I hope somebody will report on that since it is a fact,” he said as he looked up at the press gallery.

The Taoiseach has been under pressure over the strategic communications unit after it emerged in the budget that it would cost €5 million but would still remain “cost neutral”.

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He has said the unit will be mostly about information campaigns but it has dubbed the “spin unit” by Opposition TDs.

Answering questions

Mr Varadkar was answering questions in the Dáil on Tuesday about the unit and about the numbers of political staff and advisers in his department and their roles.

He said there were 20 political advisers and drivers in the Taoiseach’s department including those assigned to Independent Ministers and the Government Chief Whip.

Mr Varadkar said that 20 was fewer than the 23 under former Mr Kenny as he named each of the advisers and drivers assigned to his department, including the personnel for Independent members of Government and Chief Whip Joe McHugh.

Nine special advisers

Labour leader Brendan Howlin said the Taoiseach appeared to have nine special advisers and "on top of that we have the strategic communications unit". The Taoiseach told him he did not know how many personnel were in the unit, that it was a matter for the secretary general of his department.

Mr Howlin said: “There is a formidable volume of additional special advisers and staff over and above that employed by your predecessor.”

He asked the costs of the political staff and advisers as did Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald who called on Mr Varadkar to explain the contradiction between the communications unit being cost-neutral despite €5 million being allocated for it.

Confirmation

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the Taoiseach’s confirmation in the Dáil last week that he went to the head of the strategic unit in advance to check his availability for the role and then, technically, the secretary general appointed him.

Mr Martin said: “It is a worrying trend that the rules do not apply to the Taoiseach in relation to the appointment of such key positions.”

When he asked if the communications unit would be issuing clear statements about the record housing and hospital waiting lists, Mr Varadkar said “the level of paranoia about the strategic communications unit really is extraordinary”.

He said it has absolutely no role whatsoever in producing or issuing statistics and that the staffing of the unit was a matter for the secretary general. He again stressed that 20 political advisers and drivers were assigned to his department including for Independent Ministers and for the Chief Whip.

And the 20 staff were three fewer than his predecessor and the costs were a lot less that the two previous Fianna Fáil taoisigh.