New group to vet State-hired PR

THREE top civil servants will be appointed next week to vet any private sector public relations consultants that the State hires in future, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed yesterday.

Mr Ahern is withdrawing from ministers the power to directly hire private sector public relations consultants in a bid to end the controversy over the awarding of the lucrative €390,000 contract to Transport Minister Martin Cullen’s associate, Monica Leech.

Mr Ahern said the new committee of three civil servants would be based in his department and include a member from the government secretariat involved in ethics; a Finance Department representative and someone from the Contracts Committee.