QUINN McDonnell Pattison was paid £400,000 by the Government in the last few days of December for conducting the divorce referendum information campaign.
Some £400,000 of the Government's £500,000 budget was routed through the company partly owned by the Minister for Finance's brother, Mr Conor Quinn, to pay for newspaper advertising, printing and An Post's leaflet distribution in the campaign. QMP's own fees amounted to £50,000.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Department of Equality and Law Reform denied yesterday that the letter from Mr Quinn to the Tanaiste's adviser, Mr Fergus Finlay, was submitted to the High Court by the Department. It had been presented in QMP's files, he stated.
The copy of the letter in the possession of a Government spokesman is dated May 16th 1995, whereas a court transcript of the letter, in Fianna Fail's possession, is dated May 4th 1995.