Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The Mahon tribunal has awarded costs to most witnesses at this juncture, at huge cost to the taxpayer. Recognising that there is also a massive bonanza for members of the legal profession, has this setting of costs in the Mahon case set a precedent in regard to the Moriarty tribunal? Can we anticipate a similar decision in that tribunal?

The last time the Taoiseach answered this sequence of questions he indicated the dates from which the new fees would apply in the various tribunals and advised that they were all negotiated individually. What is the explanation for the huge difference between, for example, the Abbeylara tribunal where the new fee comes in this month and those for the Mahon tribunal which, according to the last answer, do not kick in until March 2007? Why does it take so long for some to change to the new fee arrangements while others appear to be able to make the change very quickly? This is of concern to all taxpayers and I would appreciate an informative answer.

See this speech in context