Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On the previous occasion that I answered questions on this issue I had not asked my Department to update the costs. The figure of €142.38 million I cited in February was in respect of legal costs. A further €54.48 million related to other costs, giving a total cost of €196.86 million. The figure for legal costs includes some €60.7 million in respect of third party legal costs awarded to date. As regards tribunals of inquiry and public inquiries which are sitting at present, the total cost to the end of February was €159.22 million, of which €110.66 million is in respect of legal costs and €35.18 million relates to third party legal costs. To clarify what I said to Deputy Rabbitte, as the figure is now three months old, it is safe to say it will have increased to well over €200 million. The dates agreed by Government on which the new schedule of fees would be applied to most of the tribunals are: for the Ferns tribunal on child abuse, March 2005; for the Neary inquiry into events at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, March 2005; for the Barr tribunal into events at Abbeylara, June 2005; for the Moriarty tribunal, 11 January 2006; for the Morris tribunal into complaints about Donegal gardaí, 30 September 2006; and for the Mahon tribunal March 2007. The completion date for that was further away but when we brought in the legislation, it brought it back from 2012.

The Government set different dates for different tribunals of inquiry having regard to the individual circumstances of each of the tribunals of inquiry and after communication with each of the chairpersons. We determined not to set dates that were unrealistically early and that would involve extensive disruption of the tribunals and inquiries by reason of changes in the legal personnel involved. The delays and costs that such changes would have entailed could have added to rather than reduced the costs of tribunals of inquiry.

Deputy Rabbitte asked what happens when we come to these dates. The figures for senior counsel will be €213,000, for junior counsel €142,000 and for solicitors €176,000 but that is small compared to what they are currently getting.

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