MR FERGUS FINLAY has been a key adviser and confidant of the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, since the early 1980s. He is regarded by the media as extremely bright, politically astute and an able speech writer.
He has been at Mr Spring's side throughout the various upheavals of his political career and wields considerable influence within the Labour Party. He has said that Mr Spring takes his advice about half of the time.
Displaying a keen grasp of the Tanaiste's political make up, he once observed: "Dick Spring is his own man. He is the Kerry son of a Kerry politician - which means that you are instinctive, cautious.
Born into a large Dublin family, Mr Finlay lived in Donnycarney before moving to Bray, Co Wicklow.
Later, they moved to Cork, where he studied economics and public administration at UCC. He worked as a trade union official and then with a US multinational in Cork. He joined the Labour Party in 1979 and went to work for Mr Spring in January, 1983, shortly after the latter became Labour leader.
He is credited with the idea of programme managers, who were appointed by the FF Labour coalition and retained by the present Government. He is Mr Spring's programme manager and has described the system as a "halfway house" between a full ministerial cabinet system and the previous system whereby ministers could choose personal advisers.
He has written two books, a political novel, A Cruel Trade, and an account of the 1990 election campaign of the President, Mrs Robinson, Mary Robinson: A President with a Purpose. Mr Finlay is married to Ms Frieda Carpenter, an artist, and they have four daughters.
