Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Taoiseach has given the impression that the Government is unable to do anything about the legal fees because it fears the Opposition would take issue with such action and if, as a consequence of doing something on the legal fees, legal personnel were to walk away from the tribunal. I wish to make the Labour Party view quite clear. We have never raised any objection and will not raise any objection to the reduction in the legal fees. Indeed, we expected this would have taken place some time ago, as was promised. We were told that Mr. McCreevy was going to reduce them. We were told that legal team fees would not be paid once public hearings had concluded. Indeed, given the recent reductions in the legal fees paid by the State for other purposes, I am surprised that some initiative has not been taken in this regard.

The Taoiseach says he cannot put the correspondence from the sole member on the record of the House. Again I invite him to respond to the suggestion that the House should now communicate with the sole member and that a way should be found to agree a communication with the sole member, drawing his attention to the initial desire of this House that this tribunal should be conducted economically and as quickly as possible and seeking at least an interim or a progress report from the sole member which the House could then consider.

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