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Michael Healy Rae (R) set to become a junior minister in Department of Agriculture. Alamy

'Jobs for the boys': Government to have record number of junior ministers and bumper salaries

The incoming Independents in Government have secured a sweet deal for themselves.

THE NEW GOVERNMENT, which is set to take office next week will have the highest number of junior ministers in the history of the State. 

Not only that, but they will also be the best paid in the history of the State.

Plans are in place for 23 Minister of State roles to be created, three more than the outgoing government had. 

The increase means that a legislative change is required, something a government spokesperson said will be done “early on” in the lifetime of the Government. It’s understood this will be as early as next week. 

The Independents involved in Government (The Regional Group and the Healy-Rae brothers) have also managed to secure a boost to expense allowances for those taking up junior and super-junior ministerial roles. 

Opposition TDs have reacted with fury over the move.

As it stands, junior ministers receive the standard TD salary of €113,679 per year, plus an additional €45,846 for being a minister of state. Super-junior ministers (who sit at the Cabinet table) receive an additional €16,000 on top of this. 

On top of this, as reported by the Irish Daily Mail yesterday, junior and super-junior ministers in Government are now set to benefit from an additional travel allowance worth up to €32,535 per year. 

This allowance is currently only available to TDs, but a Government spokesperson told The Journal an agreement to review this rule is in place so that “people wouldn’t lose out by taking extra responsibilities”.

All in all, that means the incoming super junior ministers, so far confirmed to be Independents Noel Grealish and Seán Canney, will be in line for annual pay packages of circa €200,000. 

The draft programme for government, which was published earlier this week, commits to re-establishing a minister of state for fisheries/marine. A government spokesperson said the two other additional junior ministers will have responsibility for migration and older people. 

‘Top 6% of earners’

Sinn Féin’s Mairéad Farrell called on the government to clarify its plans and said this is simply self interest from government TDs.

“A TD’s salary already places a recipient in the top 6% of income earners. When you add on the ministerial salary of circa €46,000 and super-junior allowance of €16,000, you go higher up the income distribution again.

“We don’t need more wastage of public funds arising from negotiations with parties and individuals who have no significant policy or ideological differences. This is just them looking after themselves,” the Galway West TD said.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said it seems as though the coalition discussions were focused “around how many jobs could be created for the boys”.

“On top of that, they have awarded all of their new junior ministers tens of thousands of euros extra in expenses. This is extremely grubby stroke politics,” he said.

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