One in seven TDs has hired member of their family to work for them
:: Green TD whose wife replaced him on council has also given her a job
A NEW Green Party TD, whose wife has replaced him as a county councillor, has hired her as a secretarial assistant, the Irish Independent can reveal.
Records released by the Oireachtas show that around one in seven TDs has hired family members to work either as a secretarial assistant (SA) or as a parliamentary assistant (PA).
Green TD Steven Matthews insisted that his wife, Councillor Erika Doyle, is “more than qualified” and the “best person for the job”.
Mr Matthews said: “Erika has guided my political career for 10 years.”
There is renewed focus on the make-up of the 33rd Dáil as government formation talks come to a head this week.
The 23 current TDs who have hired family members also include rural Independents Mattie McGrath – who has hired three family members – as well as Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae. Ministers such as Fine Gael’s Michael Ring and Helen McEntee have also put family members on the Oireachtas payroll.
TDs are entitled to employ PAs and SAs – both taxpayer-funded jobs – to help them in their role as public representatives.
Hiring family members is not against Oireachtas rules, but the practice has proven highly controversial in the past.
A NEW Green Party TD, whose wife has replaced him as a county councillor, has hired her as a secretarial assistant, the Irish Independent can reveal.
Records released by the Oireachtas show that around one in seven TDs has hired family members to work either as their secretarial assistant (SA) or parliamentary assistant (PA).
Green TD Steven Matthews insisted that his wife, councillor Erika Doyle, is “more than qualified” and the “best person for the job”.
The 23 TDs who have hired family members include rural independents Mattie McGrath, Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae as well as ministers like Fine Gael’s Michael Ring and Helen McEntee.
TDs are entitled to employ PAs and SAs – both taxpayer-funded jobs – to help them in their role as public representatives.
The salary scale for a PA is between €41,000 and €52,000, while the pay for an SA is between €24,000 and just under €47,000. Hiring family members is not against Oireachtas rules but the practice has proven highly controversial in the past.
When Wicklow TD Mr Matthew’s wife Ms Doyle was co-opted on to the local council to replace him she said she was “transparently” selected and was nominated to take her husband’s seat by her local party organisation.
Councillors are paid €17,000 a year.
She told the Irish Independent in February she intended giving up her job as a news reporter, and she would not be working as her husband’s PA in Leinster House. The records released by the Oireachtas show that she is working as Mr Matthew’s SA instead.
Mr Matthews said: “Erika has guided my political career for 10 years.”
He said this includes managing four election campaigns and working “tirelessly” in a “voluntary unpaid capacity”.
Mr Matthews said she took unpaid leave from her previous job, and worked on the strategy that saw him elected as the first Green Party TD in Wicklow.
“Erika has worked around local news and politics for years, and understands the constituency of Wicklow better than almost anybody.”
He said she received other job offers in the political arena “and I’m delighted she chose to accept mine”.
Tipperary Independent Mattie McGrath hired three family members.
His daughter Mairéad and niece Kathy share the PA job.
Another daughter, Máirín shares the SA job with another individual.
Kerry Independent Michael Healy-Rae re-hired his son Jackie as his PA. Jackie HealyRae Jnr – who is a Kerry councillor – was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence following his conviction – along with his brother Kevin – for assaulting a man in Kenmare in 2017.
Both Jackie and Kevin HealyRae, along with another man convicted over the incident, have launched appeals to their convictions.
Michael Healy-Rae did not respond to attempts to contact him for comment on giving his son Jackie the PA job.
Danny Healy-Rae re-hired his wife Eileen as a PA.
Fianna Fáil Waterford TD Mary Butler hired her son Jack for eight hours a week to share the SA job, assisting her in managing online communications with constituents. She said he gets 20pc of the salary.
Independents4Change TD Joan Collins has hired her partner Dermot Connolly as her PA, a job he shares with another individual.
The Dublin South-Central TD said: “The reason why Mr Connolly works as my PA has been aired a number of times in the public media.
“I can confirm that Mr Connolly job shares the PA position financially and works a full week.”
Rural Development Minister Mr Ring re-hired his daughter Suzanne McGreal as his PA.
European Affairs Minister Ms McEntee re-hired her aunt Eileen Clarke McDermot and cousin Christine Condra to share the SA job.
Sport Minister Brendan Griffin’s wife Róisín is working as his SA and his cousin Tommy is his PA.
Another junior Fine Gael
minister, Ciarán Cannon, has employed his wife Niamh Lawless as an SA.
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl hired his sister Deirdre as his SA.
Cork East TD James O’Connor of Fianna Fáil said his brother Thomas held the PA post temporarily after the election while a recruitment process was being conducted.
He said the job has since been filled by another person.
The Irish Independent last month revealed how two other new TDs – Fianna Fáil’s Christopher O’Sullivan and Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats – had put family members on the Oireachtas payroll.
Mr O’Sullivan employed his sister Anne Cullinane as his part-time PA. Another sister, Eimear Nelley, is his SA but is to leave the role in August. He previously defended the decision citing his sisters’ experience and skills.
Mr Gannon’s brother Paul is working 15 hours a week sharing the SA job with another individual. Mr Gannon said last month: “He is doing a wonderful job and I’m very proud of him.”
Gannon pointed to two sisters’ skills in defence of their hiring