Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil recently that the Strategic Communications Unit was operating at “arm’s length” from him as well as the Government. Picture: Julien BehalThe spin unit is weaving its way into the heart of Government, training civil servants, helping set up a new department, cajoling reluctant department bosses into cooperating and even taking over parliamentary duties. The email to John Concannon and others concerned the turning of the sod on the new children’s paediatric outpatient and urgent care unit. There is constant emailing from the SCU for department’s to assign assistant secretaries general to liaise with the PR unit. SCU officials are also roped in to manage contentious issues, such as the public services card.

Source: Irish Examiner March 20, 2018 00:01 UTC