THE DÁIL HAS voted to pass legislation to extend a €16,000 allowance to all three super junior ministers in the current Cabinet, a pay increase which minister for public expenditure Michael McGrath “didn’t recall” his party, Fianna Fáil, trying to block in 2017.
In 2017, the €16,00 top-up payment became a subject of controversy when Fine Gael wanted to pass legislation to appoint Mary Mitchell O’Connor as a third super junior minister. In a statement published on the Fianna Fáil party website, which is still available, the party’s then-spokesperson on education and skills, Thomas Byrne, confirmed that the party would block the creation of the new role.
Government which voted against affordable childcare and paying Debenhams workers yesterday votes to give €16k extra a year to a junior Minister already on €124k. pic.twitter.com/CUcabE0jLnEarlier today, McGrath was announcing details of the ‘July stimulus’ package at a press conference in Government Building when he was asked about the controversial topic by Irish Independent political editor Philip Ryan.
“That issue was certainly never raised to me. You’re referring to background that I’m certainly not familiar with and was certainly not discussed and to the best of my knowledge, no proposal was ever put before the Oireachtas.” Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht Catherine Martin was also asked to clarify her party’s stance on the matter.
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