No urgent need to hire Leech, claims FG
Transport Minister Cullen, in an RTÉ interview this month, said PR consultant Monica Leech had been taken on by his department after he decided he needed "somebody fairly quickly" to assist him with the roll-out of the NSS.
However, Fine Gael environment spokesman Fergus O'Dowd yesterday said correspondence received by him from the department did not seem to support the urgency suggested by Mr Cullen, nor the pivotal role the minister suggested would be played by the communications specialist in the roll-out of the NSS.
The secretary general of the department, Niall Callan, in a letter to Mr O'Dowd this week, states that among the work carried out by Ms Leech was "participation in a steering group to oversee the work of consultants in implementing a communications strategy for the NSS".
In his RTÉ interview Mr Cullen did not mention consultants were already in situ, implementing the communications strategy. In another letter, another department official informed Mr O'Dowd that "Ms Leech became involved in the communications strategy for the NSS within a number of weeks from commencing her contract in July 2002".
Yesterday, Mr O'Dowd said this did not seem to support the urgent need suggested by the minister.
Circumstances surrounding contracts awarded to Ms Leech by Environment and the OPW are the subject of two inquiries, one by the former head of the Revenue Commissioners, Dermot Quigley, and the other by the Standards in Public Office Commission. In his letter to Mr O'Dowd, Mr Callan outlined some of other work carried out by Ms Leech. He said she had:
*Assisted in the conceptualisation of the Race Against Waste campaign.
*Provided "event management services and expertise" for the EU Presidency Informal Environment Council meeting in Waterford.
*Given advice on design and procurement of an advertising agency on electronic voting.
*Reviewed the department's website.
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