Former Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes intends to continue providing paid consultancy services to a PR firm that acts on behalf of the Quinn Group when he takes over as chairman of Anglo Irish Bank in the summer.

This is despite the fact the state-owned Anglo has proposed a €700m bailout of Sean Quinn's struggling insurance business, a move which would see it taking a majority stake in the wider Quinn group.

The group, which is controlled by the Quinn family, supports Anglo's plan. Dukes provides consultancy services on a contract basis to WHPR, which acts as the PR agency for the Quinn Group.

Asked whether he intends to step down from his role with WHPR when he takes over as chairman of Anglo in July, Dukes told the Sunday Tribune there was no conflict of interest between the two roles.

"I have not at any time been engaged in work for WHPR on the Quinn Group account. Within WHPR, there is a very strong ethical culture in the context of which any potential conflicts of interest are carefully assessed in the interests both of the client or the potential client and of the company itself," he said.

"There is no conflict of interest between my role as public affairs consultant to WHPR and that as a member (and from next July, chairman) of the board of Anglo Irish Bank. All of my other interests are disclosed to the board of the bank in accordance with statutory and ethical requirements.

"Equally, my other interests are disclosed to the board of WHPR."

Dukes also declined to say how much he is paid for his role with WHPR, saying there is "neither a statutory nor an ethical requirement to disclose my earnings from WHPR, a private sector company".

Figures published by RTÉ last November revealed Dukes, who was paid a combined ex-TD and -ministerial pension of €98,431 in 2008, received fees of €99,360 for his role as a public interest director at Anglo.

A spokesman for Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny declined to comment on Duke's combined role with WHPR and Anglo when contacted for his views.

Dukes was appointed to the board of Anglo Irish Bank in December 2008 as a public interest director under the government bank guarantee scheme, and has previously said he expects the role of chairman to consume about "two days a week" of his time.

He recently defended the decision to award pay increas­es to 70 employees of the bank, arguing most of the staff in question had taken on extra responsibilities and were being paid accordingly.