A €240,000 salary and a jet – all the perks of the office

New Taoiseach Simon Harris says his appointment as leader of the country is the honour of his life. However, there are more concrete benefits to the office.

The total pay is €239,089 a year – Mr Harris’ earnings are made up of €111,439 and an additional €127,650 for holding the office of Taoiseach.

Either salary is about three times the average Irish worker’s salary of €44,000, meaning the Taoiseach gets six times a standard wage – even if far below some chief executive salaries available in the private sector.

There is also the modern anomaly that the Taoiseach earns substantially less than some senior civil servants, such as Health Secretary General Robert Watt, who is entitled to over €75,000 more.

But there are other perks. Mr Harris will also administer a major Leader’s Allowance for Fine Gael, at around €1.8m, which is spent on party expenses – including ard fheiseanna.

More personally, Mr Harris will receive 24-hour garda protection, including a limousine and driver, to which he is already entitled – but now with permanent cover and guard. He is also entitled to reside in the Steward’s House, set in the grounds of Farmleigh, the state guesthouse adjoining the Phoenix Park.

Mr Harris will have personal grooming in terms of a make-up artist available at Government Buildings to help with personal appearances. He will also have a bespoke laundry and ironing service.

The new Taoiseach will be accorded Defence Forces aides-de-camp to represent him at functions and events, such as funerals, when his schedule will not allow him to attend. He will have diary secretaries and office managers with the government credit cards to order anything he might want – from fresh flowers to sandwiches for meetings.

Mr Harris will have his personal communications fully funded and scrambled when necessary. He can have helicopters at his beck and call, while the government jet is available for short-haul official business. He will have to think about whether an aircraft for longer-haul should be ordered, although he is unlikely to take such a step in the short time left to him before the general election.