Opposition parties seek reform of PR contracts

The main Opposition parties have called on the Taoiseach to reform the way public relations contracts are awarded following the findings of the Quigley report.

Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party this afternoon said the report by Mr Dermot Quigley, which cleared the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, of any impropriety in giving contracts to Ms Monica Leech, showed tougher conditions should be applied to such awards.

The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said the episode was "deeply embarrassing" for Mr Cullen, whose future the Taoiseach must now consider.

He said it was clear from the report that Ms Leech was Mr Cullen's preferred choice as consultant "at all times". Officials in the Department of the Environment were "fully aware" of this fact when evaluating the two tenders received for the job.

"It is noteworthy that the only precedent within the OPW for the retention of such an information consultant was in the case of Farmleigh," he said. "Neither the handling of the purchase of Farmleigh or the e-voting debacle will be helpful to Minister Cullen as the Taoiseach now contemplates his future."

Fine Gael's environment spokesman, Mr Fergus O'Dowd, said the report unearthed considerable "deficiencies and inadequacies" in procedures employed for contracts. He noted that although Mr Quigley found Mr Cullen obeyed the relevant guidelines, there were "numerous areas of questionable procedure, work content and costs involved".

He added: "There is a clear pattern of Minister Cullen arriving in a Department and immediately demanding additional Communications advice and suggesting the employment of Mrs Leech."

The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, accused Mr Cullen of "croneyism" in the allocation of PR contracts and described him as "the walking wounded".

"What comes across in the report is the casual manner in which Minister Cullen expends public money," he said. "The greatest service Minister Cullen could do the country and Fianna Fáil would be to resign."

Mr Sargent also called for a serious overhaul of the criteria for hiring and monitoring consultants.