Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The terms of the licence certainly seem to leave a lot to be desired. The problem is the operator not being accountable to the committee. The regulator is accountable, however, and that is the route we will take with it. We will follow up on that.

The next correspondence is No. 1613B from Mr. Ciarán Breen, director of the State Claims Agency, dated 6 December 2022, providing information requested by the committee on third-party costs in respect of tribunals and commissions of investigations since 1997. No. 1617B is related. It is from Mr. David Moloney, Secretary General at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, dated 8 December 2022, providing information requested by the committee on the overall cost since 1997 of tribunals and commissions of investigation. It is proposed to note and publish both items of correspondence. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The figures are hair-raising. We are looking at almost €525 million between tribunals, investigations and inquiries. At this stage, we should ask the Departments of the Taoiseach and Public Expenditure and Reform what work is being done on finding other ways of carrying out these inquiries, tribunals and investigations. The Mahon tribunal alone cost €142 million. It is mind-blowing that the public must pay such amounts to unearth the truth. The Department of the Taoiseach ultimately oversees these matters but the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform must also have some role in looking at other options, considering whether should there be an anti-corruption office or agency and looking at best practice internationally.

I propose that we request that information from the Secretaries General of both the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.