The Minister of State for Education and Science, Seán Haughey, has more staff working in his constituency office than he has to cover his ministerial duties for life-long learning, youth work and school transport.
He has six constituency staff, three of whom are civil servants, and four in his private ministerial office: "The full year (total) cost to the exchequer in 2007 will be in the region of €385,000," Minister for Education Mary Hanafin told Fine Gael TD Kieran O'Donnell.
The Government Chief Whip, Tom Kitt has three civil servants to deal with his constituency paperwork, costing €116,931, and one privately-hired staffer costing €43,091. He also has two other civil servants assigned to him in his role as Minister of State for Defence, who can earn a maximum of €92,000 to cover both official and constituency duties.
Minister of State for Children Brendan Smith has four civil servants, costing €111,000 a year, and two other privately-recruited staff, costing €84,000 a year, for his constituency affairs.
Minister of State for Health and Children Máire Hoctor has two clerical officers, each earning €35,000, and two non-civil servant personal assistants earning a total of €86,000 to deal solely with constituency representations.
Minister of State for Health and Children Dr Jimmy Devins has one civil servant, earning €32,900, and three personal appointments earning €58,000 for constituency work - though two of the non-civil servants each work half-time.
The third junior minister in the Department of Health and Children, Pat the Cope Gallagher, has three clerical grade civil servants, earning between €29,000 and €36,000 each, and two personal assistants, earning €52,000 and €42,500, for constituency business.
Minister of State for Europe Dick Roche has more people to handle his constituency business than his senior Minister, Dermot Ahern. Along with one privately-hired secretary, who can earn a maximum of €42,000, Mr Roche has four civil servants working full-time, and another on half-time, in his Dublin ministry.
Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid Míchael Kitt has five full-time constituency staff: two personal assistants, one of whom works in his Galway East constituency, and three clerical officers in Dublin.
Minister of State for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Pat Carey has four constituency staff - two of whom are civil servants who earned €53,000 between them, and two privately-hired staff who share €85,000.
Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, SeáPower has three constituency staff: two clerical officers, who can earn between €23,221 and €37,652 each, and one personal secretary, who can earn between €24,271 and €46,828.
Minister of State with responsibility for Integration Conor Lenihan has four people in his constituency office.
The Department of the Environment has not given a breakdown of the constituency office costs for either Minister of State Tony Killeen or Minister of State Batt O'Keeffe.
The former has two constituency staff, while Mr O'Keeffe has three. The total cost of running the ministerial and constituency offices for Mr Killeen since June has been €81,000 and €149,000 for Mr O'Keeffe.
