Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 10: To ask the Taoiseach the projected cost in 2006 of the communications unit in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39757/05]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 11: To ask the Taoiseach the cost to date in 2006 during the current Dáil session of the communications unit within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3207/06]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 12: To ask the Taoiseach the cost to date in 2006 of the communications unit within his Department. [5501/06]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 12, inclusive, together.

The total projected cost of the communications unit for 2006 is €346,605. The direct cost to my Department is €149,846, with an average of €39,352 being borne by the five other Departments who have staff seconded to the unit. The cost to date in 2006 is €28,884.

The unit provides a media information service to Ministers and their Departments. It furnishes news updates and transcripts which ensure that Departments are kept informed in a fast and efficient manner of any relevant news developments. In this way, Departments are able to provide a better service to the public. The communications unit works an 18-hour day based on a flexible rota of three working shifts. The unit is staffed by six established civil servants, five of whom are seconded from other Departments. The work of the unit means that Departments have greatly reduced their use of external companies and ensures that they no longer duplicate work such as preparing transcripts and tapes. The communications unit is estimated to save Departments approximately €200,000 per annum.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is difficult to ask a different question on this matter. The Taoiseach referred to providing a better service to the public, but if news breaks at 2 a.m., does a 24-hour shift apply?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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No, an 18-hour shift.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Does the unit supply typed versions of the news broadcasts solely to Ministers and Ministers of State or do members of the Government parties also receive such transcripts? I have argued before that if the latter is the position, everybody in the House should be entitled to the transcripts, thus saving money for those who must buy transcripts from external companies.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is not the position. The unit is entirely non-political and is staffed by established civil servants. The information is relayed to Ministers, Ministers of State and the entire range of civil servants and, like all information prepared by civil servants, is for the Civil Service system, not for the House. The information is gathered on the basis——

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I wonder how the Departments managed before the unit came into existence.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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They used outside agencies and paid excessive amounts of money for the information. That is what happened and it was a very costly arrangement. In the past, one Department would contact an agency at 9 a.m. to order a tape of a "Morning Ireland" or other radio programme and another Department would contact the agency later to order the same tape. That is what happened and huge bills were received. All Governments did this — I am not saying it was one Government in particular — and it was very costly. Instead of that system, six civil servants now work together and provide information on an 18-hour day basis, which is a cheap service as against the outside arrangement. Now outside agencies are rarely used, except in other areas so it is a relatively cheap service.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Has the Taoiseach noted a reference in Ms Katie Hannon's book, The Naked Politician, published in 2004, to a member of his staff in the communications unit, which is the focus of the question, and will he confirm the job involves keeping files on political rivals and media figures for use at times of elections and in other crises? Does the Taoiseach agree that this is a description of somebody who is gathering intelligence, a phrase that is often flung around this Chamber and elsewhere in media circles? Will he confirm that there is such an individual within the communications unit or in some other section of his Department?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no such——

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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A naked pup.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no intelligence gatherer in the communications unit or anywhere else.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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That is not what Ms Hannon believes. I did not ask if they are intelligent, what they are at is what we are interested in.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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If gathering newspaper cuttings is gathering intelligence, there are many people who do that in press offices, but no more than that.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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If my memory serves me correctly, there was a case a number of years ago where a civil servant telephoned a radio programme to defend the record of the Government and was subsequently moved. Is the unit functioning as a rebuttal service and is it entirely apolitical, as the Taoiseach claims?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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That individual is not in the communications unit and was removed from that position.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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He was overly communicative.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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He is now doing a very good job on the units in this House.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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He is now in an even more sensitive position.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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Exactly. Certainly, that was something that should not have happened. A normal procedural investigation took place and the person was moved, but he was not a member of the communications unit.