Senior figures in the PR industry have called on the government to professionalise its communications service.

The Institute of Public Relations has urged ministers to prevent future rows over spin doctors and special advisors by putting the Government Information and Communication Service on a statutory footing.

In its submission to the Phillis review of government communications, ordered after the Martin Sixsmith fiasco, the IPR also called for special advisors to be given formal training.

The group also said that MPs using parliamentary questions or asking for information should be allowed to go direct to GICS information officers.

IPR director general Colin Farrington said change was vital to protect the credibility of the GICS.

"The current professional arrangements for civil service communication practitioners - who are delivering real value in difficult conditions - are inadequate and under-resourced," he said.

"Membership of the GICS should not be optional and government should do more to ensure that communications are consistently evaluated."