STAFF NUMBERS

WHAT GOVERNMENT SAID:

This week in the Dáil, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar baldly stated of his Strategic Communications Unit: ‘There will be six staff.’ This figure has been given by the Government on a number of occasions. On September 30, a Government spokesman told the Irish Mail on Sunday in response to a query: ‘The Strategic Communications Unit is staffed by six serving public and civil servants.’

THE REALITY:

Mr Varadkar’s statement this week is in direct contradiction to his own answer to parliamentary questions on September 20 and 27, when he said the current staff was six seconded public or civil servants, adding: ‘Further staff will be recruited, including through the assignment of three media and communication assistants, who were already in the process of recruitment to fill existing vacancies.’

This would make the total staff complement nine.

The MoS is also aware that the Department of the Taoiseach is currently advertising for the role of Principal Officer for the SCU.

This role would be the second-incommand of the new unit.