£3.9m for referendum work

The State paid media consultants £3.9 million for work on the Amsterdam Treaty and Belfast Agreement referendums, the report states. However, the report notes that in the appointment of media consultants public procurement procedures were not adhered to. In the Amsterdam Treaty referendum campaign the lowest tender was not considered suitable and Government contract committee approval was not sought for the award of the contract. The same unnamed media consultants were given the Belfast Agreement referendum without the approval of the Government contracts committee. A tax clearance certificate must be provided by the consultants before a contract is awarded, but this was not provided to the referendum commissions.