Taoiseach Berie Ahern today rejected allegations that a team of highly-paid special advisors were being used by the Government as political spin doctors.
Mr Ahern said his administration had comparatively less advisors than previous Governments and most were not dealing with day-to-day media issues.
He was speaking in the wake of reports that the Government was spending an estimated €5 million for programme managers, special advisers and press officers.
Opposition parties claim the money spent puts them at a "disadvantage" and undermined the democratic process.
Labour introduced the system of programme managers and advisers in the early 1990s to co-ordinate the workload and improve communications between all government departments.
Mr Ahern said he made the decision to phase out several programme manager positions when he became Taoiseach in 1997 - previously each minister had one programme manager.
He estimated that this saves the Exchequer €1 to €2 million annually.
Mr Ahern said that the term used to describe them was 'advisors' but there are full-time civil servants working on issues like Europe, Northern Ireland and tax reform.
He rejected claims that some advisors were paid to 'spin' the Government's policies to the media.
"The only people who are dealing with the media are the people in the press offices or Government press service. They (advisors) would have no dealings with media at all.
"They're not out there every day advising on what's happening here or there. They're working on these issues.
"There are now about half the advisors that there were in previous governments," he said in central Dublin.
Mr Ahern said: "There are currently 10 contracted advisers, programme managers, and special advisers in my Department,"
"These include staff contracted to Government press office, the Tanaiste and the Chief Whip."
"The staff are generally paid civil servant rates, and when the rates go up, they get the same salary."
He explained that of the previous government's 55 advisors, only one was a civil servant.
Mr Ahern was speaking after he opened a new ultrasound and foetal assessment unit at the Rotunda Hospital.
Additional reporting by PA
