Lord Irvine's annual bill for advisers and consultants has increased from £400,000 to £2.5 million since Labour came to power.

A spokesman for Lord Irvine said: "The rise in spending on external consultancies is a reflection of an increase in the department's responsibilities over the past few years, the breadth of the reform programme, and a number of initiatives on improving court services, such as through the use of new technology."