THE GOVERNMENT has decided to cut the allocation for private and constituency offices of Ministers and Ministers of State by some €4 million.

The permitted staffing level is being reduced with immediate effect. This follows a recommendation from newly appointed Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, which was approved at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

The maximum number of civil servants in a Minister’s private office is being reduced from 10 to eight and the constituency office from six to four.

In the case of Ministers of State, maximum staffing of private offices will be cut from seven to five and constituency offices from five to three.

The Government is also ending the practice whereby special advisers hired by ministers from inside or outside the Civil Service received their existing salaries plus an “attraction allowance” of 10 per cent.

This was subject to an overriding maximum remuneration, including the attraction allowance, equivalent to the highest point on the Principal Officer (Higher) scale of €105,429, although there were several exceptions to this rule.

The Government has now decided that special advisers will be paid at the Principal Officer (standard scale) which is €80,051 to €92,672.  “In exceptional circumstances, where particular expertise is required, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, with the agreement of the Minister for Finance, may sanction a higher salary rate,” according to an official statement yesterday.

Each Minister is entitled to appoint two special advisers (usually one for press, the other having a political or economic role) and Ministers of State are restricted to one such post which in the latter case must be approved by the Government.

Under the previous government, salaries for special advisers could range as high as €188,640.  The new starting point of €80,051 applies where this is greater than their existing pay. If this amount is less than their salary, the advisers can be paid a higher salary up to the fifth point on the Principal Officer scale of €92,672.

Announcing the Government’s decision to reduce the maximum allowed number of staff by a quarter for Ministers and a third for Ministers of State, Mr Howlin said this would result in the guideline numbers being reduced by four in total for each Minister and Minister of State.

“Today’s decision begins the commitments made in the programme for government to reform how the public service operates.  The transfer of staff from Ministers’ offices to front-line areas will allow the public service to become more focused on the citizen.”

Staffing resources are decisions for individual departments so the number of staff and grades may vary but the Cabinet decision sets out maximum staffing levels. Staff will normally be redeployed to other duties in the Civil Service.

The private office communicates the wishes, decisions and views of the Minister to the department and acts as a filter of information and documentation between the department and Minister.

Co-ordination of a Minister’s activities is another key function. This involves maintaining the ministerial diary of appointments and events and ensuring the Minister is provided with suitable briefing and speech material.

Other duties include the provision and organisation of transport and accommodation for a Minister as well as any other requirements which may arise throughout the course of his or her working week.

The private office also acts as the link between the department and the Houses of the Oireachtas, including answers to parliamentary questions, working with the Chief  Whip on Dáil business and preparing material for adjournment debates.

Civil servants in the constituency office deal with queries from the Minister’s constituents and other local matters, freeing him or her to focus on departmental responsibilities.

Responding to a parliamentary question on staffing in his private and constituency offices in December 2009, then minister for finance Brian Lenihan said salary and related allowance payments amounted to €562,648 in the previous 12 months with €14,263 in expenses.