It’s emerged the Taoiseach ordered the Department of Finance to bend the rules on pay rates for advisors so that his former advisor Ciaran Conlon could be awarded a pay increase of 35 thousand euros.

According to information obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Enda Kenny made this order last March, when he was elected Taoiseach.

He wrote to the Secretary General at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and asked that the Government’s self imposed salary cap of 92,000 euros per year, be breached, so that his former advisor of eight years, Ciaran Conlon, be given a new annual salary of 127 thousand euros.

At this time, both the Finance Minister Michael Noonan and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, argued that the 35,000 pay increase for Mr. Conlon was not merited.

However, the Taiseach, who had just appointed Ciaran Conlon to become special advisor to the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton,  insisted it was still appropriate that the pay hike be awarded in this “specific case. ”

After much negotiation – the pay increase was granted.

The news of this breach to our pay guidelines comes just hours before Enda Kenny is due to make an historic address to the nation.

It’s expected in his 10 minutes televised speech, the Taoiseach will stress the need for everyone to take the pain of cutting our massive national deficit.

Enda Kenny’s State of the Nation address will be broadcast on RTE1 at 9.30pm and on TV3 at 10.15pm.

More about: 000 127 35 advisor Brendan Howlin Ciaran Conlon Department of Finance Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Enda Kenny Michael Noonan Minister for Public Expenditure pay increase Richard Bruton secretary general special advisor to the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton Taoiseach