Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

There are not arrangements made to recover it as it is not necessary. As I said, the fee was agreed in June 2002 and the Attorney General's advice on the matter concluded that it would be inappropriate to withdraw the higher rate of fee which had been formally notified. He advised that the tribunal lawyers should be notified that the €2,500 rate had been notified in error but that in all the circumstances, approval was given to its payment. My Department notified the tribunal senior counsel by letter in August 2002 that the rate of €2,500 was an error arising from a misunderstanding between my Department and those setting fees but that, as an exceptional measure in the circumstances, the €2,500 rate notified to them in June had been sanctioned to stand on a strictly personal basis.

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