The Cabinet is due to approve the appointment of 10 new advisers for junior ministers despite being previously told they would have to share a pool of staff.
According to The Irish Times, a number of Ministers of State "made the case" for the appointments, which have been defended by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.
“There are ministers that are making decisions that impact on thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. It was decided that these appointments will be made a number of weeks ago,” she said.
In August, it was confirmed that the existing system of pooled advisers opted by previous Government's would be maintained, despite claims by some junior minister that they had been promised their own.
The salary range for special advisers to senior and 'super-junior' Ministers who attend Cabinet is between €87,325 and €101,114, while it is between €67,659 and €78,816 for those advising Minister of State.
