PR firm sought Taoiseach’s ‘benediction’ for gene study project

The PR firm for a Chinese/Irish state-backed project has denied its approaches to officials amounted to lobbying

The GMI project aims to create a genetic profile of the Irish population

Consultants for a Chinese and Irish state-backed genetic research firm contacted Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s office in search of a “benediction” for its gene study programme.

Civil servants in the Taoiseach’s department were told that Genomics Medicine Ireland (GMI) and Ireland’s Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) – which has backed the company with taxpayers’ money – “would love for the perception externally to be that the government is embracing the efforts . . . as ...