Written answers

Wednesday, 4 April 2007

Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Tribunals of Inquiry

11:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán CuffeCiarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 277: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason behind his decision on 28 March 2007 to defer the planned reduction in the fees paid to lawyers at the Mahon tribunal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13362/07]

Photo of Dick RocheDick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In July 2004, the Government approved reduced fees for all legal representation at Tribunals established from September 2004, and for existing Tribunals that ran over various termination dates set in the light of consultations between the Attorney General and the relevant Chairpersons. The completion date agreed in respect of the Planning Tribunal was 31 March 2007.

In December 2006, the Chairman of the Planning Tribunal, on his own initiative, wrote to me to the effect that:

the Tribunal's public hearings would not be completed by 31 March 2007 principally due to a number of legal challenges which had delayed the work of the Tribunal;

it was now anticipated that public hearings in relation to the remaining modules which the Tribunal intends to conduct will extend until the end of 2007 and possibly into the first months of 2008; and

requesting that the existing fee scales for its internal legal team would continue to apply for 2007.

In the course of subsequent correspondence, a meeting I had with the Chairman on 6 March, and a meeting of officials and Tribunal staff on 12 March, the Tribunal provided further information on the timescale and projected costs of its remaining work. At its meeting on 27 March, Government noted the information provided, agreed that my consultations with the Tribunal would continue and that in the meantime, the existing rates for the Tribunal's legal team would continue to apply.

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