Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Under the system used, the fees for counsel are initially certified by the solicitor to the tribunal and then certified by the honourable Mr. Justice Moriarty. The certified counsel fee invoices are then forwarded to the protocol and general division of my Department for authorisation in accordance with Department of Finance sanction. They are, in turn, forwarded to the finance unit of my Department for payment. Office expenses and supplies are invoiced directly to the tribunal. The tribunal registrar certifies the invoices and passes them to the finance unit of the Department of Finance for payment. The main team of the Moriarty tribunal comprises eight people, including three or four senior counsel, while the others are clerical staff.

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