Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I do not have an overall figure for the Government. The cost of my own staff is approximately €600,000. The overall cost is far less than under previous Governments when there were well over 50 or 60 advisers. While it is not a direct parallel, when former Deputy McCreevy was Minister for Finance, substantial increases were made in the resources given to parties.

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