Cost of Flynn’s Government jobs: at least €182,635

FORMER Government troubleshooter Phil Flynn earned hundreds of thousands of euro in consultancy fees from five Government departments, figures released yesterday reveal.

Mr Flynn, who last month sensationally resigned from all his public positions after being implicated in the garda investigation into suspected IRA money laundering, has frequently been hired as a consultant since 1998.

His work for the Department of Finance, the Department of Enterprise, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Communications earned him at least €182,635 in fees.

In addition, Mr Flynn, as one of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s most trusted troubleshooters, worked extensively within the Taoiseach’s Department.

However, figures for the value of that work were unavailable last night.

According to a series of parliamentary questions tabled by Labour finance spokeswoman Joan Burton, Mr Flynn’s most lucrative consultancy work came from the Department of Finance, which has paid him €107,487 since 2001.

As chairman of the Government’s Decentralisation Implementation Group, Mr Flynn was paid €39,650 last year.

Mr Flynn had so far this year earned €9,555 for his decentralisation work.

Mr Flynn, a former Sinn Féin vice president and ICTU head, also earned an additional €58,282 in 2001 and 2002, mostly as a member of the benchmarking review group.

According to the Department of Communications, Mr Flynn engaged in consultancy work worth just under €18,000 between 2000 and 2002.

Mr Flynn also carried out industrial relations work for the Department of Enterprise worth €56,079 between 1997 and 1999.

Mr Flynn, who denies any involvement in money laundering, has pledged to clear his name.