The political career of the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, has been damaged because of the manner in which public relations contracts were granted to a Waterford-based consultant and political supporter, Ms Monica Leech.
The report into the matter by retired Revenue Commissioner, Mr Dermot Quigley, found no serious breaches of official guidelines and procedures, but it raised questions of propriety and urged the adoption of specific measures to guard against any repetition.
Publishing the report yesterday, the Taoiseach concentrated on the fact that rules had not been broken and Mr Cullen had not acted inappropriately. But that is a political, subjective judgment. It remains to be seen whether it will be shared by the Standards in Public Office Commission when its high-profile members meet to discuss the controversy next week. Mr Quigley's investigation concentrated on possible breaches of procedure and practice; the commission will concern itself with the more nebulous issue of ethical behaviour.
The bones of the matter are simply stated: Mr Cullen, as both a junior and senior minister, proposed that Ms Leech be employed as a public relations consultant on specific projects by the Offices for which he had responsibility. Initially, she was employed in the absence of a tendering process. Later, there was restricted tendering. However, the Minister did not issue formal instructions to his officials concerning the relevant appointments and her employment took place within a legal framework.
Political "pull" has had a long and undistinguished history in this society. Its pervasiveness damaged democracy and undermined public trust in fair procedure. A nod, a wink and high-level connections frequently got things done while those who played by the rules were unsuccessful. In recent years, legislation under various ethics Acts attempted to change that culture.
Those officials spoken to by Mr Quigley assured him Ms Leech had made a valuable contribution to various projects, even though a comprehensive inventory of her work was not available. They said the Minister had not placed untoward pressure on them to make the appointment. In spite of that, the former Revenue Commissioner felt public perception had to be taken into account when a Minister suggested the employment of an individual or a company. And he proposed extensive reform. In doing so, he reflected the concerns of trade bodies that public relations companies with favourable political connections are granted the bulk of government business.
Mr Cullen was commendably cautious in welcoming the findings of the investigation. Expressing satisfaction at the outcome, he acknowledged there were lessons to be learned. And the Taoiseach undertook to implement the report's twelve recommendations and remove such contracts from the political domain. The Minister did not break the law or departmental rules. But by urging his officials to appoint a political supporter - no matter how well qualified - he acted imprudently.