MINISTERIAL AIDES:THE RESIGNATIONS of six Government ministers mean that the contracts of employment for special ministerial advisers have come to an immediate end in almost all cases.
Among those affected are former minister for health Mary Harney’s press adviser Derek Cunningham, formerly a broadcast journalist and spokesman for the Irish Farmers’ Association, and policy adviser Patricia Ryan, previously special adviser to former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox.
Others in this category include former minister for defence Tony Killeen’s adviser Declan Ryan, and Olive Stephens, press spokeswoman for minister for transport Noel Dempsey. The contract of Mr Dempsey’s policy adviser, Meath county councillor James Fegan, also comes to an end.
Also affected by the resignations are Bernard Mallee, former Fianna Fáil press officer and public relations consultant, who was spokesman for minister for enterprise Batt O’Keeffe; and Tim Conlon, policy adviser to Micheál Martin.
Former radio journalist and press officer with the Fianna Fáil party Jerry O’Connor was assigned to minister of state at the Department of Foreign Affairs Peter Power, but also acted as a spokesman for former minister Micheál Martin. He remains in his position until the election is formally declared.
Former minister for justice Dermot Ahern’s policy adviser Ciarán Ó Cuinn and press adviser Richard Moore have been asked to stay on until a change of government by Brendan Smith, who is now responsible for the justice as well as the agriculture portfolios, but this request is subject to Government approval.
None of the advisers contacted yesterday revealed any future employment plans and most of them said they had no alternative in mind following the resignations of their ministers, most of which came as a surprise to the general public.
