WITH STATE cars and Garda drivers taken away from most newly appointed Ministers yesterday, it was also announced that the allocation for private and constituency offices of Ministers will be cut by about €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, approved at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.
The maximum number of civil servants in a Minister’s private office is to be cut from 10 to eight and in the constituency office from six to four.
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.
Special advisers are to be paid at the principal officer (standard scale), currently €80,051 to €92,672.
Under the previous government, salaries for such advisers could range as high as €150,000. The new starting point is €80,051, where this is greater than their current pay.
Most newly appointed Government Ministers will have to vacate their ministerial limousines by May Day, when their entitlement to avail of State cars and Garda drivers ends after a decision at Cabinet yesterday.
Former taoisigh and former presidents will no longer be provided with around-the-clock official transport, although exceptions will be made on important State occasions.
The entitlement will remain in place for President Mary McAleese, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.
Meanwhile, gardaí set to lose their positions as drivers for Cabinet Ministers and other senior State officials are in line for significantly enhanced pensions once they have worked just three years in the ministerial car pool.
About 60 rank-and-file gardaí, who drive Ministers and senior officials and double as their armed bodyguards, are set to lose those positions under new plans unveiled by Mr Shatter.
However, they have all received a 40 per cent increment to their salaries.
Once they have three years of service in the ministerial car pool in their last 10 years of service in the force – as almost all do – they could retire on annual pensions almost equal to those of Garda superintendents.