Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In response to the query about the Mahon tribunal costs, the matter concerns third party legal costs and claims and we rely on the State Claims Agency for same. Every year we have set aside €4 million for the past number of years and will continue to do so. The costs will vary each year. We cannot predict the sum and will have to deal with it when it is drawn down. The overall sum that has been spent up to October 2017 is €129 million. It has been estimated that the final cost will be €159 million over the next couple of years but it is hard to predict the drawdown on that figure. This year the original budget that was set aside was €3.745 million. The increase is an additional €5.855 million and those resources were found in the Department. The revised budget is €9.6 million. There are additional costs on hand that we will have to pay in the months ahead. The claims on hand from agencies is, roughly, €686,000 and the estimated claim for the settlement cost is, roughly, €1.3 million. The amounts have varied over the past couple of years and in some years up to €4 million was not spent. Over a period the sum evens out. We expect that the final cost will be €159 million.