A member of the Taoiseach's staff is maintaining regular contact with the Independent deputies who kept the FF-PD minority government in power for its full term up to last year's general election.
Mr Ahern said the civil servant assisted the Government Chief Whip's office in liaising with the Independents, Mr Jackie Healy-Rae, Kerry South, Ms Mildred Fox, Wicklow, and Mr Niall Blaney, Donegal North-East, who replaced his father, Mr Harry Blaney, at the last election.
"The official meets these deputies on a regular basis and arranges to keep them briefed on issues as they arise," Mr Ahern said. He added that his Dublin Central constituency colleague, Mr Tony Gregory, Independent, was invited to the party whips' weekly meeting. Mr Gregory insisted he was there by right as the whip of the technical group.
Mr Ahern said that for the current administration, the support of Deputies Healy-Rae, Fox and Blaney was not as critical to the Government's majority.
"However, I have tried and will continue to try to be as helpful as possible to these deputies," he added.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, said that while it was almost the silly season, the arrangement "appears to make a mockery of the equality of elected representatives here to represent the people, given that the Government is giving specific and direct support to named individual deputies."
He added that under the Constitution deputies should be equal in terms of their representation in the Dáil.
Mr Kenny said he was given to understand that officials from the Department of the Taoiseach were dispatched to Kerry on various occasions not just to consult Deputy Healy-Rae but his son and to walk the beaches and the roads while discussing events in general. "I understand he offered advice to the Taoiseach in a threatening manner and said that he should have his bicycle chain oiled up at all times," he added.
"Does that not represent an insurance policy paid for by the taxpayer in the event of the Taoiseach having an unhappy relationship with the Progressive Democrats?"
The Minister for Defence, Mr Michael Smith, observed: "We do not complain about the way the deputy manages his independents."
Mr Ahern said: "I remember being here in January 1982 and I learned from watching a previous leader of the deputy's party how not to handle independents. I have not forgotten it. In the light of the last Government, I decided to learn the lesson. I appreciate the fact that the deputy's party taught me the lesson."
Mr Kenny said he had recommended that former Deputy "Rockall" Loftus should have been taken aside and tutored in that government, but that did not happen.
"Is the Taoiseach allocating valuable Civil Service time to politically massage certain independents so that they will remain sweet and in tune if the Government needs them?" he asked.
Mr Ahern said there was regular contact between the Government Chief Whip and the Independents in the previous Dáil for good reasons because of the numerical issue. "That is not the case now," he added. "The contact is not as frequent.
"However, these and other deputies look for assistance on different matters and we always try to deal with them. Government decisions are not made on that basis."
