Special advisers list

[Dr. FIVE]

Note this only Reilly and not the HSE too

[disability student]

Note this only Reilly and not the HSE too

He is a medical doctor as there is a conflict of interest which should be looked at seriously. Junior doctor spoke about O Reilly's role as IHCA (hospital consultant association) in the past. He protected the consultants in CPA to date.

It would be better to leave him there as it would enable FG to lose votes in the process.

[Dr. FIVE]

Heating up now.

Jim Allister's Special Advisers Bill passes its 2nd stage by 62 votes to 32

[Dr. FIVE]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...325060720.html

SPECIAL adviser to Minister for Health James Reilly held a paid position up until last year with a company that has received several million euro from the HSE for the provision of home help services.

A spokesman for the Minister said last night that Maureen Windle had been an adviser to Sodexo Zehnacker Healthcare Ireland. He said this had been a paid post.

This is the parent company of Comfort Keepers, a private firm which has been involved in the provision of homecare services such as home help for several years under a contract arrangement with the HSE

[PaddyJoe]

The Revenue seem to be concerned about the way that some ministerial advisers are being paid:

Released by the Department of Health to The Irish Times, the documents were issued to departments when concerns were raised in the Dáil about the tax compliance of consultants hired by ministers on special contracts through consultancy companies.

Those engaged through consultancy companies do not pay tax through the PAYE system, but are subject to 20 per cent professional services withholding tax. In a letter to departments dated June 27th, 2012, chairwoman of the Revenue Josephine Feehily said she was writing to help ensure they were not “unwittingly found wanting or subject to adverse criticism for failing to comply with their tax compliance obligations or for facilitating unacceptable tax avoidance”.She said departments “need to be particularly mindful of not engaging in activities that seek to circumvent tax law”.

An attached document highlighted situations that gave rise to “most queries and misunderstanding”. Under “Offensive Tax Avoidance/Abuse”, it said, “there are a number of instances that have directly or indirectly come to attention where Revenue considers that offensive tax avoidance/abuses of the tax system envisaged in paragraph 19 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State bodies have occurred”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...ce=twitterfeed

[Dr. FIVE]

Hope I am reading that wrong that Revenue is suggesting the bad publicity is taking priority over the actual tax avoidance

[PaddyJoe]

Hope I am reading that wrong that Revenue is suggesting the bad publicity is taking priority over the actual tax avoidance

Revenue considers that offensive tax avoidance/abuses of the tax system envisaged in paragraph 19 of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State bodies have occurred”.

That was in July.
So what action has the Revenue actually taken on these "offensive tax avoidance/abuses of the tax system " since then?

[Dr. FIVE]

Was even raised in the Dáil. Interesting how some get plenty of warning isn't it

[MPB]

Hope I am reading that wrong that Revenue is suggesting the bad publicity is taking priority over the actual tax avoidance

No.

[DCon]

The Revenue seem to be concerned about the way that some ministerial advisers are being paid:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...ce=twitterfeed

20% seems rather generous. No?

I wonder if the RTE "stars" also benefit from this?

it is not the manner of recruitment nor what a person calls him or herself which determines their classification for tax purposes. In particular, it is not necessary to be a permanent public servant to be classified as an employee in accordance with tax law.”

[barrym]

20% seems rather generous. No?

I wonder if the RTE "stars" also benefit from this?

AFAIK, and I was employed many times under the 'consultant' banner, the way it used to work was they paid your invoice -20% and when you did your tax return you took that into account....

I suppose it still works like that.

It entirely depends on the sort of contract you have. I'd say that the RTE 'stars' are on some sort of continuing arrangement, i.e. you do this for this period and get paid this, through your company, which invoices us. Govt guys ones are usually for specific tasks in a specific role, in a specific place (dept.) You usually have a company but you don't have to, and the Rev have been getting tougher with. for example, IT specialists, who pay themselves through a company and claim ex's etc for going to work...., legit but open to abuse....

This IT foi request is presumably based on some scuttlebutt they picked up and the answer is the usual foi fudge. The warning shot is 'don't get caught by some new tax fiddle when employing yer pals....."

[C. Flower]

20% seems rather generous. No?

I wonder if the RTE "stars" also benefit from this?

That would be 20% withheld automatically at time of payment. It would then be adjusted up and down depending on the overall tax liability of the person.

[barrym]

That would be 20% withheld automatically at time of payment. It would then be adjusted up and down depending on the overall tax liability of the person.

CF,

In think that was what I said, but having been a consultant I cannot say it that well.
Nobody would pay you as a special adviser if you were that quick with the answer and that honest.....

Now, what is/was the dodge they have thought up? I need to arrange it for my next contract.

[Dr. FIVE]

Gilmore appoints fourth adviser

Niamh Sweeney, under the cap at €80,000

journalist for RTÉ from 2005 to 2010 before furthering her studies. She undertook a master’s degree in business and economics journalism at Columbia University, New York. After that she reported for The Irish Times from New York as well as working for several other publications. She also spent some time at Bloomberg Radio.

[DCon]

Working for Enda is a good gig it seems

At least 13 of the Taoiseach’s staff, including the Government press secretary and his deputy, have been given pay rises amounting to over €31,000.

Just one year after taking up their positions, government press secretary, Feargal Purcell saw his salary rise by €3,500 to €119,795 while deputy press secretary Cathy Madden saw her salary rise by €2,941 to €99,236.

Two of Enda Kenny’s special advisers, Paul O’Brien and Angela Flanagan, had their salaries boosted by €3,286 to €83,337.

Six personal staff of the Taoiseach were entitled to pay rises. Among them, personal assistant Sarah Moran’s salary rose from €75,390 to €77,884. Theresa Diskin, Pauline Coughlan, and Gerard Deere — all described as personal assistants — saw their salaries rise by over €2,000 to between €66,000 and €69,000.

John Lohan and Anne Marie Durkan, both personal secretaries to Mr Kenny, got pay rises of €1,516, bringing their salaries to €41,749.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/archive...1k-197899.html