Former Labour adviser Mr Fergus Finlay is to leave a leading Dublin public relations firm to head the team of advisers to the new Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, it has emerged.
The development came as Mr Rabbitte announced his front bench, which effectively demoted leadership challenger Mr Brendan Howlin in favour of Dublin West TD Ms Joan Burton.
Ms Burton, who finished third in the election for the deputy leadership of the party, takes over from Mr Howlin as finance spokesperson. Mr Howlin has been given the task of marking the Tánaiste and Progressive Democrat leader, Ms Harney, in her Enterprise, Trade and Employment portfolio.
The return of Mr Finlay, who left Labour's employment in 1997 after Mr Dick Spring quit the leadership, will come as a surprise to many within the party. Although highly-regarded, he was criticised by some within Labour for being part of a powerful nucleus around Mr Spring which left some TDs out in the cold.
In August 1999, Mr Finlay formally joined Wilson Hartnell Public Relations as the head of its public affairs unit. He had acted as a consultant to the company for some time beforehand.
Over the past number of years, he has written weekly columns for the Irish Examiner in which he has frequently criticised the Government, particularly on disability issues.
Personally close to Mr Spring, Mr Finlay served as adviser to him from 1983. He was deputy press secretary during the 1983-87 coalition and was special adviser in the Department of Foreign Affairs between 1992 and 1997.
Meanwhile, Mr Rabbitte has managed to find a spokesperson's role for each of his fellow 20 TDs, including one of those he defeated for the leadership, Dublin North-West TD Ms Róisín Shortall.
She had refused to serve on the front bench formed by Mr Rabbitte's predecessor, Mr Ruairí Quinn, since she was apparently dissatisfied at being offered the shadow defence portfolio.
The remaining leadership candidate, Dún Laoghaire TD Mr Éamon Gilmore, who has covered communications and natural resources issues since the election, returns to environment and local government.
Mr Quinn will replace Dublin MEP Mr Proinsias De Rossa as the party's spokesperson on European affairs, along with being in charge of Labour's relations with fellow European socialist parties.
Party Portfolios
Mr Pat Rabbitte TD, Leader and Northern Ireland; Ms Liz McManus TD, Deputy Leader and Health; Mr Emmet Stagg TD, Chief Whip and Nuclear Safety; Mr Brendan Howlin TD, Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Mr Éamon Gilmore TD, Environment and Local Government; Mr Willie Penrose TD, Social and Family Affairs; Ms Róisín Shortall TD, Transport
Ms Joan Burton TD, Finance; Mr Joe Costello TD, Justice; Mr Ruairí Quinn TD, European Affairs and relations with the Party of European Socialists (PES); Ms Jan O'Sullivan TD, Education; Ms Kathleen Lynch TD, Consumer Affairs; Ms Breeda Moynihan-Cronin TD, Equality and Law Reform; Mr Brian O'Shea TD, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Mr Michael D. Higgins TD, Foreign Affairs; Mr Tommy Broughan TD, Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and Assistant Whip.
Mr Jack Wall TD, Arts, Sport and Tourism; Mr Joe Sherlock TD, Defence; Dr Mary Upton TD, Agriculture and Food Safety; Mr Seán Ryan TD, Older Persons Issues; Mr Seamus Pattison TD, Leas Ceann Comhairle.
