Ms Kate Duggan:

It is an extraordinary amount of money. That initial report was commissioned by the board of Tusla in 2017. From 2017 right up until when we finally reached mediation on the case the Deputy is talking about in 2023, I know the costs pre mediation. They were High Court costs that were initiated against the agency. We all recognise the significant and increasing legal cost, which amounted to €720,000 pre mediation.

When I joined Tusla and took over the role as CEO, I had to take on this case.

My absolute objective was to move to settle it and close it out. I did so by overseeing a mediation process. The cost of the mediation process was €149,000. It brought to a conclusion six years of legal battles on this matter.