Two Independent TDs who supported the last government still get regular briefings and assistance from the current administration, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has confirmed.
Mr Ahern said an assistant principal officer in his office assisted the Government chief whip's office to liaise with the TDs, Jackie Healy-Rae in Kerry South and Mildred Fox in Wicklow.
The Taoiseach stressed that "there is no additional cost to the taxpayer in dealing with these deputies". It was "managed within the expenditure on programmes within the Programme for government and the National Development Plan".
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the Taoiseach's evaluation of the "value of the Independent deputies seems to have declined since Deputy Healy-Rae described himself as the fourth wheel on the ministerial Mercedes in Kerry, much to the amusement of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism".
Mr Ahern said it was well known that four Independent TDs continuously supported the last Government, which operated from 1997 until 2002. Deputy Niall Blaney has since joined Fianna Fáil and Thomas Gildea retired at the last election.
Mr Ahern said that contact was "as required". There was regular contact in the last government "because the government did not have the numbers between its two parties without their support".
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked "now that Deputy Blaney has been drawn on to a sucker punch and has rejoined the old family, will the service still be available to him or will he now be ignored like the rest of the Fianna Fáil backbenchers?"
The Taoiseach replied that "once a person is in the parliamentary party they, like everybody else, get the briefing on legislation from the [chief] whip".
