Prone PR firm paid €11k by Tánaiste

TÁNAISTE Frances Fitzgerald has paid public relations guru Terry Prone and her firm the Communications Clinic more than €11,000 for PR advice since being appointed last year.

The Communications Clinic billed the Justice Minister for €5,535 in September and for €1,845 in each of the three following months.

Ms Prone has been the subject of considerable controversy over her handling of public relations on behalf of the Bon Secours religious order and their role in the Tuam babies scandal.

In an email in 2014, Ms Prone told a French documentary maker that she would find ‘no mass grave’ if she were travel to Ireland.

When the existence of the mass grave was officially confirmed, Ms Prone conceded there appeared to be a ‘whole lot more’ to the situation.

But she has refused to comment to the Irish Mail on Sunday.

The Communications Clinic billed Minister Fitzgerald €5,535 last September for what was described as ‘PR – consultancy work’.

Three more invoices followed in October, November, and December, all described as being for ‘public relations’ work, each of them for €1,845.

Asked why Ms Fitzgerald needed additional public relations advice, despite the fact that she has no less than three special advisers, a departmental press office as well as the services of the Government press office, a spokesman said she would be making no comment.