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Monday, 06. September 2010 - 13:09

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Denying Greece support 'dangerous', Pröll warns People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Chancellor Josef Pröll has warned of "dangerous developments" as European Union (EU) member states have backed out of the previously agreed upon support package for Greece.
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18. 02. 10. - 12:00

Green MP questions cost of ministerial cabinets

Green MP Karl Öllinger has accused the government of massaging official figures over the cost of federal employees.

According to information he got from the government in response to a recent question in Parliament, the cost of the 151 people working in federal ministers’ cabinets last year was 13.6 million Euros.

The number of people working in ministerial cabinets last year was higher than the 147 who did so at the end of the former Social Democratic (SPÖ)-People’s Party (ÖVP) government led by SPÖ Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer.

The cost of cabinet workers was highest at the Finance Ministry, 2.64 million Euros. That averages out to 110,045 Euros for the 25 employees. In comparison, the chancellory had 15 cabinet workers.

But Öllinger says that the real cost of cabinet workers last year was higher than the figure provided by the government since three ministries had not completed their calculations and Darabos had provided no information. Öllinger estimated the real cost to be 15 million Euros.

The Green also said: "Higher consulting costs at many ministries are the result of the employment of former cabinet employees on a contract basis who do strategic consulting work for ministers."

The number of cabinet workers was only 113 in 1997 at the end of the SPÖ-ÖVP government led by former SPÖ Chancellor Franz Vranitzky.

Green MP questions cost of ministerial cabinets

Related articles: political scandals