Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On the general point, the Commissions of Investigation Act sets out clearly the best consideration of how we should deal with these issues in the future. With the new fee structure, that would make a dramatic change to the speed and type of investigation and how issues are dealt with.

Personally and as Taoiseach, I have appeared before the children's abuse tribunal, the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals and possibly another but I cannot remember which one. The point has been made about the length of time that passes from urgent business to the end date. Regarding the issue that we will debate later, collusion, a point made by all relatives is that they do not want the State to get into a long process. They want to focus on the issue that can be dealt with in a number of months, without building up major costs to the State.

To the end of 2007, the total cost to the Exchequer of completed and sitting tribunals of inquiry and other public inquiries is €323.17 million, not including the third party costs that will emanate.

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