Gauthier Delomez 2:07 p.m., October 15, 2021

With an invoice amounting to 160 million euros per year, the government of Jean Castex is the most expensive of the Fifth Republic, explains René Dosière, specialist in the lifestyle of the State. "It is one of the most numerous, with salaries still high but which tend to decrease," he said on Europe 1 on Friday.

It is a sum that can make jump: 160 million euros. This is what the forty or so ministerial cabinets of the government of Jean Castex would cost each year. This would make it the most expensive government of the Fifth Republic according to René Dosière, former PS deputy for Aisne and now president of the Observatory of Public Ethics. This specialist in the lifestyle of the State notes that it is "one of the most numerous governments: more ministers, collaborators, with salaries still high but which have tended to decrease in recent years", he says on Europe 1, Friday.

The former socialist deputy regularly examines the costs generated by successive governments.

To make his calculations, René Dosière relied on the remuneration of each person who makes up a ministerial cabinet.

"An adviser to a minister earns around 9,160 euros gross per month. But there is a difference: civil servants are more around 9,400 euros, and contract workers are around 7,000 euros," notes the former deputy for Aisne.

"The contract workers are political friends"

René Dosière estimates that "half of the advisers come from the administration itself. They are senior civil servants who come, in a way, to accelerate their professional careers through the offices". And the former socialist deputy to shed light on the "contractual", under private law. "They tend to be more and more numerous. We see that they are more and more young people, more political supporters and who are there to promote the minister, and also to learn about life. political, "he explains, admitting:" These contract workers are political friends. "

To reduce the bill, could the government do without some of these personalities?

"Regarding senior officials, they still have the most important responsibilities in the cabinets. These are people who naturally have political sympathies, but who above all have a sense of public service," said René Dosière.