Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I am not sure I heard the Taoiseach give a definitive answer regarding whether he feels the 11 January 2006 completion date will be the end of that tribunal.

With 2005 in mind, the Taoiseach mentioned €10,583,000 on the assumption that there would be a report. Is he confident we will get a report before long, given there has not been an interim report to date? On the basis of the escalating costs, would he care to include the Moriarty tribunal and other tribunals in the category of overruns earmarked for other projects the Government is bankrolling?

Does the Taoiseach have figures for the staff numbers working on the Moriarty tribunal? In November 2004, the Taoiseach said there would be no new staff. What did he mean when he said in February that new staff had been appointed presumably to some tribunal? Can the Taoiseach clarify if that was the Moriarty tribunal and outline the current position?

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing these questions because it is difficult to keep within the bounds of the House given that we are not supposed to discuss tribunals here.

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