Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I take the point the Minister makes. Ultimately, it is the Minister's Department that will sign the cheque, or through which the cheque will come, regarding the fees structure and the entirety of the costs. Lest there be any ambiguity about my position on this, let me state that the right to have one's rights vindicated and be represented legally is absolutely sacrosanct, and I think we would all agree with that. However, is there a process by which costs can be capped while recognising the rights of all parties before a commission of investigation or a tribunal of inquiry? Going back to the 2008 report, it seems that if the Comptroller and Auditor General is acknowledging the spiralling costs - at the risk of putting words into his mouth - then those costs are out of control. They are astronomical and ridiculous as regards the pursuit of justice or truth, depending on the content of the inquiry. The Irish taxpayer has the right to ensure that the most cost-effective mechanism is used, even if this means legislating for an upper cap on costs per hour or whatever formula is used to determine costs. I put it to the Minister that it is not possible for the Irish taxpayer to sustain over ten years a cost of €420.593 million. There needs to be a policy shift somewhere.