Sir, - I refer to your report (The Irish Times, June 7th) under the heading, "Public affairs firm lists Duffy as key asset". At the end of this article your Political Correspondent states that I have "failed to place an annual statement in the Dail Library" concerning any special adviser employed by me.
In the interests of Irish Times readers I wish to state that I do not employ a special adviser, although, as Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, I am entitled to do so. I do not have a special adviser who is required to make a statutory declaration. Consequently I have no such statutory declaration to place in the Dail Library.
I made my own personal statutory declarations on February 14th and 25th, 1999. I also included a note to the Clerk of the Dail to the effect that I have no special adviser and no such statutory declaration to submit.
I trust that this clarifies the matter. - Yours, etc., Dr Michael Woods TD, Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources,
Leeson Lane, Dublin 2.