Parliamentary Review Requested for Controversial Salary of Government Secretary Hélder Rosalino

PS Requests Parliamentary Review of Salary Legislation

The Socialist Parliamentary Group is set to demand a parliamentary review of a decree-law approved by the Council of Ministers on December 12, allowing Hélder Rosalino to earn over €15,000 per month as the head of the newly established Secretary-General of the Government.

Despite the matter not being reserved for the Assembly of the Republic, the PS argues that it is advisable for Parliament to be involved in decisions regarding remuneration frameworks for senior officials, especially those with exceptional rules that allow them to earn more than the President of the Republic.

The PS stated, "Since that was not the government's choice, the Socialist parliamentary group requests a parliamentary review of this diploma, so the government can clarify the criteria for this legislative change and its justification based on general and abstract criteria."

On Friday, the government announced the appointment of Hélder Rosalino, a former Secretary of State for Public Administration and ex-administrator of the Bank of Portugal, as Secretary-General of the Government. This position was created as part of the public administration reform, which merges several secretariats of the ministry. In June, the Minister of the Presidency indicated that this position would not go through a recruitment competition.

This role, described as having a "relevant level of responsibility," is explicitly a political appointment, similar to other secretaries-general in sovereign bodies or the Republic's intelligence services.

Reports indicate that Rosalino will earn over €15,000, opting to keep his original salary as a consultant for the Board of Directors of the Bank of Portugal. Initially, the fixed salary for this position was €6,511, but a change to the decree on December 26 allowed for the maintenance of the original salary.

The recent change was mentioned in a statement from the Bank of Portugal, which confirmed that it does not incur any costs related to the Secretary-General's remuneration, in accordance with Eurosystem rules. The PS noted that the amendment permits not only the retention of the original salary but also allows salaries that exceed that of the Prime Minister. Additionally, the definition of "base remuneration" has been altered to be calculated from the average of the previous year.