More than 1,000 appointments have been made to the boards of State agencies since the Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats Government came into office in June 1997.
Figures issued this week show that Ministers have made 1,159 appointments to State boards, covering all areas of Government activity.
The appointees include professional experts and those rewarded for political support.
Many board members receive a fixed annual payment ranging from £2,000 to over £7,000 along with expenses.
The information was issued following a series of parliamentary questions by Mr Bernard Allen, Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central. He asked each Government Department to outline the number of appointments Ministers had made to State boards since June 1997 and also their annual payments.
Mr Allen said last night that he was not trying to score political points. "I just wanted to see if certain names kept reappearing," he said.
The information was provided by 14 Government Departments, not including the Department of the Environment. The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, has made 362 appointments to the various agencies. This was the largest number of appointments of any Government Minister.
Among those appointed by the Government are two of the Taoiseach's closest political associates. Mr Des Richardson and Mr Chris Wall, were appointed to the board of Aer Lingus. The former Fianna Fail minister, Mr Ray MacSharry, was appointed chairman of Coillte and also Telecom Eireann. He receives a £6,000 annual payment from Coillte and £7,500 from Telecom Eireann (now Eircom).
The former Fianna Fail minister and PD adviser, Dr Martin O'Donoghue, was one of four appointments to the board of the Central Bank, while the former PD TD, Mr Peader Clohessy, was appointed to the visiting committee of Shelton Abbey. Former Fianna Fail minister, Mr Gene Fitzgerald, was appointed to the National Petroleum Corporation.
Unsuccessful election candidates were among those appointed. The unsuccessful Fianna Fail candidate in last year's Cork South Central by-election, Ms Sinead Behan, a solicitor and athlete, has been appointed to the boards of the Irish Sports Council and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal.
Earlier this week Ms Olive Braiden, the director of the Rape Crisis Centre who failed to win a European Parliament seat for Fianna Fail in 1994, was appointed to the Courts Service Board.