Minister for Health James Reilly (top) has confirmed he is paying a public relations company for advice from a personal ministerial allowance that is outside of his department’s budget.

Dr Reilly said he had paid €15,000 last year to the Communications Clinic, whose directors are public relations consultant Terry Prone (above) and Tom Savage, the chairman of the RTÉ board.

The money was paid from a €41,000 secretarial allowance which Ministers receive from the Oireachtas.

Because, you see, a personal adviser and a press office staffed by civil servants doesn’t count for much these days.

A spokesman for Dr Reilly said last night that the rules governing the ministerial allowance specifically allowed for the money to be used for public relations advice.

He said under the arrangement with the Communications Clinic, the company provided advice on the wider health reform programme. He said there was also an element of script-writing involved in the contract with the company.

Well that’s handy…

Reilly paid PR firm with part of his secretarial allowance (Irish Times)

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(Photocall Ireland)