The Green Party is planning a possible legal challenge to the appointment of civil servants to look after the constituency business of the Taoiseach and other Government ministers. New figures indicate that in 1999 more than 100 civil servants were assigned to constituency work for ministers at a cost to taxpayers u of more than £1.75 million.
Green Party TD Mr John Gormley said the system gave ministers and ministers of state "an unfair competitive advantage" over other TDs. He said there was a strong case that the principle underlying the McKenna judgment - on the equal allocation of public money in referendums - could be applied to this matter. "If I had 10 people working for me on constituency matters I would be guaranteed of holding my seat," Mr Gormley said.
While the Department of Finance issued guidelines in July 1997 for the staffing of ministerial offices, there is no limit on the number of Civil Service staff who can be appointed to work on constituency matters for ministers and ministers of state.
There are currently 71 civil servants assigned to work on constituency business for Government ministers. Another 30 are assigned to constituency work for the minister of state. They are separate from special advisers who are employed by ministers.
The civil servants work on correspondence and queries which constituents raise with ministers. The positions are generally at clerical officer or personal assistant level.
With 10 civil servants workings on constituency matters, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, has the largest staffing at an annual cost of almost £153,000 The Minister for Tourism and Sport, Dr McDaid, the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, and the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mrs O'Rourke, each had two staff assigned to constituency matters, costing respectively £21,374, £24,215 and £38,996 a year.
The Tanaiste has four staff at an annual cost of £54,860; the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, has six staff (£107,045); the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaelteacht, Ms de Valera, has four staff (£111,727); the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, has seven staff (£140,000); the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has eight staff (£121,608); the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has three staff (£47,240); the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowan, has four staff (£57,110); the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, has four constituency staff at a cost of £72,800.
The Taoiseach has five staff dealing with constituency business at an annual cost of £85,000. Since June 1997, these staffing costs in the Taoiseach's constituency office from June 1997 totalled some £290,000.
The Greens have had discussions with legal representatives on a constitutional challenge to the system. Mr Gormley said last night that a decision would be taken soon.