“The Government has stated from the beginning that it had absolutely no problem releasing the data”
The Government made public on Tuesday on the website of the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus the list with the full details of the Government's advisers and collaborators.
As Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letympiotis stated to KYPE, the aim is to full transparencyaround the issue, adding that this practice will be followed in the future as well.
Specifically in the Register of Contracts of Consultants of Associate Members of the Government, the full name of each consultant, their monthly gross salary, the duration of the contract, the member of the Government with whom it is contracted and his academic qualifications.
According to Mr. Letymiotis, the list is dynamic even after it is sent to the Parliament , changed because other advisers were hired.
When asked whether the list was given because of the political pressure created by the intention to discuss the matter in the Parliamentary Institutions Committee on September 4, Mr. Letympiotis clarified that the Government stated from the beginning that it had absolutely no problem in making the data public.
What needed to be considered, he continued, was the issue of personal data protection. However, after the written consent given by the advisers, the Government released the names.
He also clarified that the Government sent, for transparency purposes, from the first moment the full list of names to both the Audit Service and the House of Representatives, even though they had not been asked by the latter. He added that at some stage there had been an attempt to create shadows even with recent appointments in semi-governmental organizations and wrongly, as he said, an attempt was made to present the Government as not promoting transparency even though, as he said, the resumes had been sent according to the standing procedure.
“The publication of the names as well as the initiative itself for legislative regulation for the first time, confirms once again the commitment of the Government to transparency and good administration”he said. This arrangement, he added, will continue to apply and there will now be full disclosure of the partners' names, even though the purpose of the legislation was also served by the disclosure of the initials.
We expect, he added, that this practice will to be followed by other bodies and institutions, such as the House of Representatives where “to date no corresponding legislative regulation has been promoted”. Mr. Letymiotis said that they could use the regulation of partners/consultants of members of the Government as a basis and that the Government is at their disposal.
“Transparency is a matter of priority for the Government as well as a demand of society and it cannot be either a la carte or selective. This is what society demands, this is what the service of all of us towards it imposes”, the Spokesperson concluded.
From the list it is clear that five advisers have contracted with the President of the Republic, two advisers with the Minister of Agriculture, two with the Minister of Labour, two with the Minister of Education, two with the Minister of Interior, two with the Minister of Health, two with the Minister of Defense and two with the Minister of Transport. Two consultants are contracted with the Deputy Minister of Culture.
One consultant is contracted with the Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs and Energy, with the Deputy Minister of Shipping and with the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, with the Deputy Minister of Tourism and with the Deputy Minister of Immigration. The Government Representative and Deputy Minister also have a partner in addition to the President.
Their gross monthly salaries range from €2,083 to €5,166.
