Three Government Departments spent almost €12.5 million on external consultancies last year, according to new figures.

Records released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal significant Government expenditure on legal, accounting and information technology (IT) services.

Some of the biggest and best known private sector advisers in the State were hired last year by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and the Department of Transport and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The biggest spender of the three was the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, whose expenditure on 143 contracts last year was €6.18 million. The Department of Transport spent €3.9 million on 136 contracts.

While the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment spent €2.34 million on consultancies, its figures also included expenditure by the Competition Authority, the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the Director of Consumer Affairs.

Consultants hired by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources included Cap Gemini, which was paid €588,404 for systems analysis development work. Consultants working on similar projects included Fujitsu, whose consulting division was paid €361,255 and whose services division was paid €413,218 in conjunction with Watson Wyatt.

In addition, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) received €220,220 on three projects related to broadcasting. The group, which also does significant business with other Departments, was paid €121,000 for a review of RTÉ's licence fee application and €54,450 for a review of the market for commercial broadcasting revenues. It was also paid €44,770 to review the implications of the report of the Forum on Broadcasting. PwC also received €79,272 from the Department for work on three other projects.

The Department of Transport also hired PricewaterhouseCoopers, paying it €129,316 for research on CIÉ which is being used as a template for the group's break-up. Other consultants included Booz Allen Hamilton, which received €285,968 for arail review. Steer Davies Gleave received €285,691 for a review of bus regulation. The rail consulting group Lloyds Register MHA received €152,782 for drafting guidance on the construction of new railway works. It was hired days before two executives refused to attend an Oireachtas subcommittee hearing.Consultants hired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment included the Goodbody's and Economic & Social Research Institute, who were paid €129,551 for an impact evaluation of the EU Employment Strategy.