Kenny defends pay cap breach by his department
The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has defended the decision to breach a pay cap for the salaries of his own special advisors.
Department of Finance guidelines set a limit of €92,000 for Government advisors, but two members of staff in the Taoiseach's office are paid a salary of €168,000.
The Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the Taosieach had "circumvented his own pay cap".
But Mr Kenny said the overall pay bill from his office has been reduced, when compared with the salaries paid by the previous Government.
Mr Adams said: "Do you think this - in any way - fits into the great pain that's out there with people on all sorts of stealth taxes, household taxes; please tell us how you managed to do that."
Mr Kenny replied: "These are all...publicly-informed salaries and their remit and the work that they set out is there for all to see.
"The salary scales on which these people are employed are substantially less than their predecessors."
