Reilly paid PR firm €15k from Dáil allowance
James Reilly, the health minister, paid a public relations company €15,000 for advice on health reform as well as for speech writing advice, his office confirmed.
He paid the money last year to the Communications Clinic, whose directors are PR consultant Terry Prone and Tom Savage, the chairman of the RTÉ board.
The funds were paid from the vouched €41,000 secretarial allowance which ministers receive.
Some ministers vouch for the expensed services under the special secretarial allowance while others can claim unvouched costs, as is permitted under the system.
The expensed payments for services are above and beyond services provided by their press offices, departments and, in some cases, their constituency offices.
Dr Reilly’s spokesman yesterday said that all funds were spent in line with the guidelines.
Other ministers’ offices confirmed expenses used under the dual system last night.
According to Oireachtas officials, a minister or TD can claim a fully vouched annual amount of up to €41,902 for secretarial assistance, PR work, IT assistance (not web-related) and training. Alternatively, they can claim part-vouched or unvouched expenses for services amounting to €8,888, and an additional €11,591 in vouched expenses.
Phil Hogan, the environment minister, used the part-vouched option in 2011. He submitted an invoice for €9,075 from Stalk Consultants, which was for secretarial services.
The unvouched amount was used for policy consultancy advice, his office said. He did not use any claims for PR work, it was added.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn used €14,321.73 of the vouched allowance for secretarial services last year, his office said.
Simon Coveney, the agriculture minister, availed of the fully vouched system for staff salaries but none of the funds went on PR, his office said.
Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan Leo Varadkar, the transport minister, did the same, their officials said.
Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure minister, uses the allowance solely to employ a full-time secretary and not for PR, his office said.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s spokesman said he availed of the allowance within the guidelines but not for PR purposes.
Richard Bruton, the jobs minister, used some of the allowable allowance but not for PR, his office said.
Details were not supplied for Justice Minister Alan Shatter.
Pat Rabbitte, Joan Burton, Eamon Gilmore, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny do not avail of the allowance, their officials said.
Other headline moments for the health minister:
* James Reilly spent €624 of taxpayers’ money on two deluxe Bewley’s coffee machines — one for each of his offices. One has been installed in his office in the health department at Hawkins House while the other sits in his Leinster House rooms.
His spokesman said the minister needed the machines because he worked long hours and the Dáil restaurant and department canteen were not always open.
* He has received tax breaks for maintaining his 13-bed family mansion in Co Offaly. He received tax breaks for six years running to help pay for renovations to the three-storey Laughton House, which is surrounded by 150 acres of farm and woodland.
The property must be open to the public, in accordance with tax-break conditions. His officials say the amounts received through the tax break is a private affair.
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