Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I do not have the wider Government figure. The issue is that the total spend in Departments is of the order of €50 billion. Advisers were brought in to assist Ministers independent of departmental advice in 1992. They augment and supplement that advice and they are provided with an opportunity not just to advise the Minister, but to have other cross-departmental responsibilities and to integrate the efforts of various Ministers in broad policy areas and whatever other tasks that Ministers of the day prescribe to them. They have been an addition in helping that policy formulation effort.

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