RT Investigation Unit Report and Database on Ministerial Pay and

RT Investigation Unit Report and Database on Ministerial Pay and Government Ministers have received 27 million in pay and expenses since the formation of the coalition government in 2011.

An examination of data by the RT Investigations Unit from 16 Government Departments and the Office of Public Works shows the average amount paid to each Minister during this period was approximately 631,000.

The database of 27.76 million in ministerial payments is a companion to the T.D. and Senator expenses database published by the RT Investigations Unit in February. It completes, for the first time, a full picture of exactly how much the most senior politicians in the country were paid in the four years since the last general election. It covers the period from March 2011 until the end of December 2014.

Almost 1.6 million was paid in mileage on an unvouched basis.

The mileage bill rose each year since 2011 to 473,000 in 2014.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny was paid more than 780,000 in salary, expenses and other costs during the period, and is top of the list.

Nine other senior politicians were paid or reimbursed in excess of 700,000 (at least 186,666 annually) between the election and the end of 2014 according to the RT Investigations Unit database. They are in descending order: Simon Coveney, Jimmy Deenihan, Leo Varadkar, Phil Hogan, James Reilly, Michael Noonan, Brendan Howlin, Joan Burton and Eamon Gilmore.

Costs for a further 16 senior politicians exceeded 600,000 (a minimum 160,000 annually).

At least one government minister chose not to take part of their salary and this is reflected in the database. Minister Joan Burton did not take the allowance she is entitled to as T naiste, which would be approximately 15,000 annually.

165,608 paid for ministerial mobiles and broadband while an additional 75,601 was paid for landlines at home or in constituency offices.

All of the data was obtained by RT through specific individual Freedom of Information requests to every one of the Departments involved. In some cases, ministers have worked at up to three different Departments since the election, meaning their costs have been spread across them. In other cases, a minister may have their salary paid by one Department but their mileage paid by another if they have a dual responsibility.

Pay and ministerial allowances have dropped steadily since the election with the annual salary for a TD falling from 92,672 in 2012 to 87,258 in 2014. The same drop has occurred in ministerial wages with the annual payment for a senior minister falling from just over 76,000 in 2012 to just above 70,000 by last year. For Junior Ministers, the drop was from 37,241 to around 34,000 last year. The ministerial wages are in addition to the wages they receive as a TD (currently 87,258 a year).

LINK:	http://www.rte.ie/about/en/press-office/press-releases/2015/0918/72869...
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