President Higgins advisors' pay 'exceeds salary cap'
It has emerged today that the Government has allowed another breach of the pay cap it established for high earners within the public sector.
The Sunday Times newspaper has revealed that two members of Michael D Higgins' Presidential staff, his special advisor and his communication's director, are being paid more than €20,000 and €10,000 in excess of the pay guidelines.
Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohue has defended the increase, saying that overall pay rates have decreased significantly, and also defended the fact that the President has a special advisor.
"President Higgins has a huge variety of additional responsibilities," said Donohue.
"For example he is the person that has the ability to make a decision about a piece of legislation, he has the Council of State, he has the capacity to accept or refuse a decision from the Taoiseach to go to a General Election,
"I mean, he has a huge variety of other posts and responsibilities, at home and abroad, not as public, but are of huge importance."
