Stormont Executive appoints 13 new Special Advisers (SPADS) with pay rise taking them to almost £70,000 each

Special advisors (SpAds) are political appointees hired to support ministers. They specialise in giving party political advice and support that would be inappropriate for a civil servant to provide.

Their role came under close scrutiny during the ‘cash for ash’ inquiry at Stormont. Perhaps none has had such a high profile as Dominic Cummings, who was chief advisor for a spell to then prime minister Boris Johnson.

The total salary pay bill on the current appointments for Stormont will be almost £1 million per year – £904,000.

The Department of Finance (DOF) issued a statement on the details, confirming that its senior officials had determined the salaries, which range from £55,000-85,000.

The bulk of the 13 advisors – seven – fall into the £65-70k range.

In January 2017 the average pay for the SPADS, as they are known, was £72,681.

This dropped by almost £10k to £62,750 in February 2020.

However, now in March 2024 the average pay has jumped back up an average of £6,788, with the average salary now £69,538.

The DOF said the salaries reflect the role of the special adviser as set out in the Code of Conduct, as well as individuals’ relevant experience and expertise.

The Department of Finance will publish an Annual Report, detailing the number and costs of special advisers, in April.

Each departmental minister is entitled to appoint one special adviser; the first minister and deputy first minister are entitled to appoint three each. The deputy first minister is still entitled to appoint one more special advisor.

The details of the appointments by party are as follows:

SINN FEIN

Economy: Eoin Rooney £65-69,999

Finance: Dr Dara O’Hagan £75-79,999 (former MLA)

Infrastructure: Bronagh O’Kane £55-59,999

Executive Office: Stephen McGlade £80-84,999

Executive Office: John Loughran £70-74,999

Executive Office: Ronan McGinley £65-69,999

(Stephen McGlade was appointed on a fixed term contract from February 3 to March 31 2024).

DUP

Education: Richard Bullick £75-79,999 (former advisor to first ministers Peter Robinson and Paul Givan)

Communities: Peter Johnston £65-69,999

Executive: Office Alastair Ross £80-84,999 (former MLA)

Executive: Office Dr Ashleigh Perry £65-69,999

ALLIANCE

Justice: Claire Johnson £65-69,999

Agriculture: Dr Jodie Carson £65-69,999

UUP

Health: Mark Ovens £65-69,999

In 2020, Richill man Peter Cardwell published a book which lifted the lid on the life of political special advisors – ‘The Secret Life of Special Advisers’. The Co Armagh man, who worked as a special advisor to four UK Cabinet ministers.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that local political parties accepted almost £2 million in donations last year.

The Electoral Commission for NI also released the breakdown of donations in the last quarter;-

:: Sinn Fein almost £150,000;

:: DUP over £92,000;

:: Alliance took £46,022;

:: SDLP £61,943;

:: UUP £22,728;

:: Conservatives £18,624;

:: TUV £6,767

For a UK Parliamentary general election, party spending is regulated 365 days before polling day. For Northern Ireland the new spending limit for each party is £54,010 for each constituency contested.

Spending limits in the rest of the UK are – England: £1,458,440, Scotland: £216,060 and Wales: £108,030.

Cahir Hughes, head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, said: “With a UK general election on the horizon, we are starting to see political parties campaigning.

“While there is no limit to what parties can raise, there are spending limits in place ahead of elections to ensure a level playing field.”