On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The appointment of Special Advisers is subject to section 11 of the Public Service Management (PSMA) Act 1997.
The appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the terms set out in the aforementioned guidelines. The appointments are also subject to formal Government approval.
A breakdown of Special Advisers employed by my Department, since its formation on 19 July 2017, is supplied in the table below.
Special Adviser
|
Minister
|
Cessation Date
|
Niall O'Connor
|
Minister Heather Humphreys
|
Not applicable
|
Pauric McPhillips (on Department of Social Protection payroll)
|
Minister Heather Humphreys
|
Not applicable
|
Anne-Marie McNally
|
Minister of State Joe O’Brien
|
Not applicable
|
Padraig Hughes
|
Minister Michael Ring
|
28 June 2020
|
Daniel Rowan
|
Minister Michael Ring
|
28 June 2020
|
Séamus Ó Ceallacháin (secondment)
|
Minister Michael Ring
|
31 June 2018
|
Robert Hughes (on payroll of the then Department of Communication, Climate Action and Environment)
|
Minister of State Sean Canney
|
28 June 2020
|