3 politicians need 17 Special Advisors

KiKi III wrote: »

That's just not true.

It's pretty important for someone who has massive responsibilities to have advisors. This is such a non-story.

They're basically employing their mates on exorbitant salaries are our expense.

I don't think many people understand the role of the civil service: to enact and develop the policies they are told to develop. Special Advisors develop policy in line with their bosses goals, So a SPAD would develop say a broad housing strategy, the main ideas. For this example we will say a massive state house building programme. The Civil Service will take that policy and refine it, costing it, identifying opportunity sites and try to fully flesh out the consequences of said policy. A fully worked through policy paper is bought back to the Minister and SPAD to see if it then meets their political needs. If it does and gets the go ahead it gets put into motion.

Mr. Karate wrote: »

If you need that many advisors then you are clearly unqualified for your position.

And that is it in a nutshell. We are governed by a group of chancers who need people to do their job for them. Then they just speak other peoples words and get paid a fortune to do so.

Makes my blood boil this disgraceful waste of tax payers money. If their not up to the job and some clearly not, remove them instead of appointing advisors to show them what to do, it's just ludicrous, as bad a Leo & his Aide De camp and Coveneys hypocrisy re his Merc and percs. Next week TD'S get their payrise also

All this one the week they reduce PUP Payments and Intriguingly the Department of SW seem to have forgotten the payment is a week in arrears, meaning they took money from receiptients a week early based on their own information. Not a mention of this in any media or for that matter the Dail. Absolutely outrageous, where in this Together my H@LE

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

Remove Ministers how exactly?



****ing bull****, no mention of this in the media or Dail? Seriously? Maybe inform yourself a wee bit first

Clearly your missing my point on advisors, the need for them and indeed the need for super junior ministers, even the discription absurd. Are you actually in favor of special advisors? Seriously?

Re my point about PUP and the point I raised, clearly you don't follow leaders questions, I am 100% correct, absolutely zero mention that a government department (SW) incorrectly reduced pup payments a week early. The payment is paid a week in arrears and this weeks payment was actually for the week previous. Reduction was to come into force from the 17th September, PUP payment is from Friday to Thursday so perhaps this might help you do the maths, it's not terribly difficult if you are actually fully informed.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Now its come out that there will be a total of 64 advisers to government at a cost of 15 million. Plus initially it was said Eamon Ryan was to get 5 advisers but now he has ended up with eight of them


https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40055195.html

64 advisers on huge salaries for the government. You would wonder why are we paying politicians at all if they need an army of advisors to make decisions for them.

It's just disgusting, country falling apart, 400k either unemployed or on PUP, No reliable figures on EWSS but even that cut, businesses opening and closing and Covid cases up. Its just appalling advisors needed to advise ministers how to do their F@€KING jobs, and let's not forget the arrogance of Leo and his Aide De Camp and Coveneys Mercs and percs. Where in this Together my arse.

Enjoy.

Fionnan Sheahan on the story of the Special Advisor who wants expenses for working from Galway when he should only have been working from Gov buildings in the first place.
https://m.independent.ie/opinion/comment/the-curious-case-of-the-ministerial-adviser-and-his-expenses-claim-casts-a-shadow-over-political-appointees-39563858.html

Full Article
'The role of special adviser to a minister of state is in respect of that minister's role in the department and not in respect of their role as a TD representing their constituency."

The blindingly obvious statement on the work of a politically appointed special adviser had to be laid out in a ruling of the labour disputes watchdog last year.

An adviser to a junior minister claimed he was based in the minister's constituency office in a rural location, rather than the Dublin-based department.

The adviser wanted expenses for travelling to Dublin when the minister was in the Dáil. The department concerned told the adviser his office was in Dublin, along with the headquarters of the minister.

The case ended up in the Workplace Relations Commission last year, which backed the department's view. However, the details disclosed did raise questions about the role of advisers to junior ministers.

The unnamed adviser, whose identity is discernible from the ruling, told the WRC he "works primarily from the minister's constituency office" and "never works" from the department.

The adviser claimed his job was "largely a political role and the HQ of any adviser depends entirely on the constituency location of that minister".

In the days before Covid-19, remote working was something of an anomaly. How exactly an adviser could co-­ordinate with officials without ever working from the minister's department is something of a mystery. The evidence suggested the focus of the minister was more on the parish pump than national policy.

The curious case casts a shadow over the appointment of political advisers.

While the roles of press and policy advisers to Cabinet minister are quite clear, the job of an adviser to a junior minister is somewhat more enigmatic, to say the least.

After much flapping about, the Government this week approved the appointment of 10 special advisers to the remaining 17 ministers of state who don't sit at Cabinet.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin had suggested all the juniors would be entitled to advisers. Then there was a suggestion the junior ministers would share from a pool of advisers.

Eventually, the juniors had to make an individual case to justify the cost of getting an adviser. Ultimately, it became a carve-up as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael got four advisers each and the Green Party two.

The role of advisers is to keep their political masters out of trouble. With that in mind, it's unclear why nobody spotted that it wasn't the brightest idea to table the appointments on the same day that the Pandemic Unemployment ­Payment was being cut.

The optics were bad for the Government - again. Once more, the Coalition was smeared by a self-inflicted 'Mercs and perks' farrago.

Figures from the Department of Public Expenditure show the previous Fine Gael-Independent minority administration had 58 special advisers at a cost of just under €5m a year.

The indications so far are that the new government will certainly match, if not surpass, this number.

Political advisers can be worth their weight in gold to their minister.

Given their access and influence, the right policy adviser to a Cabinet minister can be more powerful than even a junior minister.

Likewise, the wrong person can be costly. Bad appointments have been linked to the demise of more than a few ministerial careers.

The focus on press advisers due to the appointment of some well-known journalists often misses the point. The role of policy adviser is vastly more important as they are in the loop on the formulation of actions and legislation.

Aside from generally watching their minister's back and providing advice, advisers have a direct input into the government agenda on Cabinet. They also help shape their minister's view on colleagues' proposals by providing relevant observations on proposals going through the system and memos going to Cabinet for decision-making.

Spotting the problems before they hit, advisers will also liaise with their counterparts to get initiatives across the line. Feeding up the line, they also ensure the Taoiseach and party leaders are kept abreast of what's happening and there are no surprises.

The wheels can be greased far more effectively than by relying on the public sector's procedures. Political advisers can step into areas where civil servants simply cannot. Anybody suggesting advisers are not a necessary part of the system is just being naive,

Often operating in the absence of delegated responsibilities, a junior minister's precise role beyond the title can often be vague. Similar sentiments can be applied to what their adviser is in charge of. Again, though, a good adviser will find the space to operate.

However, there are others who, by accident or design, will simply get drawn into ­constituency work.

When asked why she was getting an adviser, Minister for Disability Anne Rabbitte said she didn't have the "skill set" to deliver what needs to be done. She must be hiring someone quite impressive in that case.

Yurt! wrote: »

The majority are party flunkies, journos taken out of the press-pool to keep bad news away / explain it away or mates of mates

AKA the Health ministers new advisor who's a former journalist and PR who tried to tell the media exactly what questions they are only allowed to the ask the minister and tried shut down any questions regarding the Golfgate

https://mobile.twitter.com/caulmick/status/1296856748486254592

Luckily they weren't having it from their former "colleague"

Absolutely crazy. All paid for by the ordinary tax payers.

The mental image I have is greedy pigs gorging at the trough.

Disgusting