Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Minister stated, this pertains to setting up the procedure to deal with the costs aspects. If there is a known referee, the Taxing Master as was, and the chief legal costs adjudicator, it might help the process to be able to state that while the two parties can continue having this argument, the adjudication is that costs were X amount. It is a suggestion to the Minister that it may be useful to have a referee present. Would this prevent prolonged discussions, if the two parties could identify a person who can give them a verdict on this matter and could decide to not use up valuable legal time having debates about it? It would be great to have a referee who would be available to be frequented, were the parties to so desire, and it is a question of whether to point them in that direction. I will not press the amendment but that which I have outlined is the idea behind it. We have a service that can solve these disputes by stating the bill is X and has been independently adjudicated and this might short-circuit longer debates and arguments. However, I will not move the amendment and I thank the Minister for her response.