It will return to stricter rules he said

The hardening of the rules on the train of life of the Ministers is expected in the coming days. And, according to the Elysee Palace, it is "rather", Nicolas Sarkozy, who should be responsible for the announcement. For the Executive, it is both respond to the revelations about the apartments of function of Christian Estrosi and Fadela Amara, the licence to build Alain Joyandet, or Christian Blanc cigars and make the distinction between these excesses and problems of Eric Woerth keeps "confidence" of the head of State, (see page 4). Friday, François Fillon lifted a small corner of the veil promising "new rules" on housing, travel and the number of employees of the members of the Government. "Politicians and Ministers to the forefront, have a duty of exemplary and transparency", he said, regretting "errors", "failures" and "failures".

Pending arbitration of the head of State, the Prime Minister could only remember the advice he had given in 2007: not more than 20 collaborators by Minister and 4 for the Secretaries of State. "Of course, this was pushed over time." "It will return to stricter rules", he said. All Secretaries of State and 6 Ministers of the 20 that the Government exceeded their quotas. Even when we take care not to count that once collaborators to double-hatted - directors of the cabinet of Secretaries of State being guiding Assistant teams of Ministers of guardianship. Stakeholders rodent their defence arguments. "It is already on the bone, I do not see how it could reduce our workforce," said in the entourage of the Minister of defence, Hervé Morin, whose cabinet includes 23 members.

Borloo holds the record

The record is held by the Minister of sustainable development, with 36 staff. "All of advisers on the merits has been assigned to the Office of the Minister, same s'ils also employed the four secretaries of State," argues a relative of Jean-Louis Borloo. An explanation that Matignon seems to understand: "Jean-Louis Borloo and Christine Lagarde have very broad portfolios with very different topics to treat", said an adviser to the Prime Minister, which explains also the staff of the cabinet of Luc Chatel (27) by its "two powers": the Education Minister and Government spokesman.

In fact, Matignon is mostly State Secretaries. All greatly exceed the limit of 4 employees, such as Georges Tron (public service, 11 persons), Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet (digital economy, 11), Fadela Amara (city, 10) and Pierre Lellouche (European Affairs, 10). Nicolas Sarkozy has not decided if it would impose a return to the rule of 2007 or allow a slightly higher strength. Question if a cure to weight loss firms limited to Secretaries of State will have a strong enough symbolic scope is. Matignon, it wishes to remind another already taken decision: reduction of 10 by 2011, the envelope on the operating costs of the members of the Government and their team.

According to René Dosière, socialist MP, in 2009, all remuneration and allowances paid to members of the Ministerial increased by 11.9 million euros (or more than 21) while the salaries of the public service remained stagnant.