Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú:

Yes, it is very high. The comparison with the figure for legal costs, were a case to go through the courts, is a good one. Legal costs represent about 61% of payments made when cases go through the courts. Cases can be very expensive. As the Comptroller and Auditor General notes in his report, under the redress scheme an in-house legal cost team was established to develop expertise in negotiating. Where third party costs could not be negotiated in-house, they were referred to a legal costs accountant retained by the board and then, if necessary, the taxing master. They have to put a huge amount of effort into seeking to minimise the costs involved.